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These defendants will have been in custody from two to eight days before they get their hearing to either have the stipulated fact trial or get back into treatment. These defendants are prime examples to the new arrestees of the consequences of missing court appearances or treatment sessions.
S.T.R.A.I.G.H.T. is a court-managed drug intervention program designed to provide early opportunity for treatment and a cost effective alternative to traditional criminal case processing. The criteria for program participation will be established cooperatively by the 16th Judicial District Court, the public defender's office and the district attorney with the district attorney's office having the final veto over entry criteria.
Criteria for participation in S.T.R.A.I.G.H.T.
The person is charged with possession of a small amount of drugs and/or drug paraphernalia consistent with personal use.
Defendant has not participated in S.T.R.A.I.G.H.T. before and is not currently participating in the Program.
There is no evidence of significant and substantial drug dealing.
The State is not seeking a dispositional departure from the presumptive sentence and there are no circumstances indicating to the district attorney's office that the defendant will be unable to succeed in S.T.R.A.I.G.H.T. Criminal history is basically irrelevant.
The defendant has no holds from other jurisdictions (the defendant may petition the Court if the hold is later resolved) and is otherwise eligible for security release and therefore is available for treatment.
There is no verifiable evidence of gang association or affiliation within one year of defendant's arrest.
There are no other felony crimes or any other misdemeanors pending or charged in the same instrument other than traffic offenses or other counts or charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Schedule I or II.
The defendant is not charged with Driving Under the Influence I in the same information.
Paragraph 7 and 8 are for the purpose of cleaning up other outstanding charges as quickly as possible.
Status Hearings
Status hearings will be held weekly. Each defendant will appear at least every 30 days. A report of each defendant's progress is prepared by the treatment provider and given to the judge prior to the hearings. The judge is notified of clean or dirty urinalysis tests, attendance at counseling and educational classes, and overall program compliance. Any special circumstances concerning the defendant are included in the judge's progress report. The Court may increase the frequency of urinalysis testing, order increased attendance or participation in a residential program, such as half-way or three quarter-way home, as a requirement to stay in the program. Terminating the defendant from S.T.R.A.I.G.H.T., of course, is the final option.
Treatment
Treatment starts the day of the first court hearing. It consists of a program of drug education, group and individual counseling and random urinalysis. There are three phases in the program. During Phase I, the first eight weeks, the defendant meets four times a week receiving drug education classes and urinalysis testing.
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