Superior Court I

The Howard Superior Court 1 Adult Drug Court Program is committed to providing non-violent drug offenders access to intense treatment services in order to break the cycle of drug addiction and crime. The Howard County Drug Court Program was implemented in February 2007 as an alternative to traditional case processing of drug offenders.

The Adult Drug Court Program is a sentencing withheld program involving a Judge, Prosecutor, Public Defender, Drug Court Administrator/Coordinator, Probation Officer, and Treatment Providers. The Drug Court Program allows eligible participants to avoid criminal prosecution by:

• agreeing to complete a substance abuse treatment program;
• remaining alcohol and drug free; and
• completing other program requirements as determined by the Drug Court Team and the Judge.

Participants must complete the Drug Court Program in its entirety and may not have any additional arrests during the course of the program in order to qualify to graduate. In order to enter the program, the participants must enter a guilty plea to the pending charges. If they graduate from the Drug Court Program, the pending charges will be dismissed. If they are terminated from the program, they are returned to court for sentencing.

Incarceration vs. Treatment

National statistics indicate that of the offenders who are traditionally incarcerated, 85% of drug abusers will re-offend within 1 year, and 95% relapse within 3 years.

Research shows that there is a direct correlation between length of treatment and success of treatment. Drug Court Participants are required to remain in the program for between one and three years before they will graduate. Because of the length of intensive treatment, national statistics lead us to anticipate that more than 75% of our Drug Court graduates will never re-offend.

Positive Attitudes Change Everything

IT IS ONLY BY PARTNERING WITH BUSINESSES AND LOCAL COMMUNITY LEADERS THAT THE GOALS OF THE COURT, OUR PARTICIPANTS, AND THE COMMUNITY ARE BEING REALIZED.

A special thanks is owed to our partners: Howard Regional Health Systems, Saint Joseph Hospital, the Gilead House, the Mayor's Community-Based Council on Substance Abuse Prevention, Governor's Commission for a Drug Free Indiana, Local Coordinating Council, Family Service Association of Howard County, Inc., the Kokomo Rescue Mission, Open Arms, the Center Township Trustee, the Kokomo Police Department , the Howard County Prosecutor, the Howard County Public Defender, the Howard County Board of Commissioners, and the Howard County Council, without whose help and support the Drug Court Program would not be possible.

Further Information:

• National Association of Drug Court Professionals
• All Rise Public Service Announcements
• Howard County Adult Drug Court Participant Manual
• Eligibility FAQ

• Indiana Judiciary
• Rules of Trial Procedure
• Rules of Criminal Procedure