HOW DO DRUG C
OURTS WORK?
Potential drug court defendants come under the court’s supervision very soon after ar-
rest. Upon acceptance to the drug court, participants begin an individually struc-
tured treatment program lasting generally from three to five years. Participants are
required to attend treatment sessions, un-dergo random urinalysis, meet regularly
with their probation officers, and appear frequently before the drug court judge.
W
HO IS ELIGIBLE FOR D
RUG COURT?
New Jersey’s drug courts target substance abusing, nonviolent adult defendants who
have undergone both a legal review and a clinical assessment by drug court team
members.
Persons excluded from participation in drug court include those who have previous
convictions or pending charges for a vio-lent offense. Other eligibility criteria and
exclusions apply. Contact the Judiciary website at: njcourtsonline.com or the drug
court in your area for details.
WHAT ARE
DRUG COURTS?
Drug courts are a highly specialized
team process that functions within
the existing Superior Court structure
to address nonviolent drug-related
cases. They are unique in the crimi-
nal justice environment because they
build a close collaborative relation-
ship between criminal justice and
drug treatment professionals.
Within a cooperative courtroom at-
mosphere, the judge heads a team of
court staff, attorneys, probation offi-
cers, substance abuse evaluators and
treatment counselors all working in
concert to support and monitor a par-
ticipant’s recovery. Drug court pro-
grams are rigorous, requiring inten-
sive supervision based on frequent
drug testing and court appearances.
WHY DO WE NEED D
RUG COURTS?
A revolution has been going on in the crimi-nal justice system. It began at the grassroots
level with a few people who realized that the old approach – incarceration and more incar-
ceration – wasn’t working. As the numbers of accused drug offenders kept increasing, there
were simply not enough jails and prisons to hold them.
In New Jersey, especially with the enactment
of the “Comprehensive Drug Reform Act of 1986,” a major increase occurred in the num-
ber of arrests generally, the number of arrests in drug cases, and the percentage of those be-
ing sentenced to serve time in state institu-tions.
Drug courts have been more successful in
generating significant cost savings by replac-ing costly per inmate annual incarceration
costs with less expensive treatment services. In addition, drug courts substantially reduce
drug use and recidivism while offenders are in the program by closely supervising drug of-
fenders in the community, placing and keep-ing drug offenders in treatment programs, and
by providing treatment and related services to offenders soon after arrest. Furthermore, drug
courts have shown great success in reducing racial disparity in the prison population.
WHAT DO DRUG C
OURTS OFFER?
New Jersey’s drug courts include a multi-phased judicial process coupled
with treatment services and intensive probation supervision.
Program Elements: -Regular court appearances
-Frequent and random drug testing -Medical detoxification, if necessary
-Residential programs, if necessary -Intensive outpatient programs
-Individual and group counseling -12-step, self-help groups
-Relapse prevention -Sanctions and incentives
-Community service requirements -Referrals to literacy volunteers, edu-
cational and vocation programs and job readiness training, if applicable
DRUG COURTS ENCOURAGE:
Personal accountability on the part of the participant
Payment of child support and other financial obligations
Education and full-time employ-ment
Involvement with self-help and community organizations to support
participant recovery after graduation from drug court
Criminal Practice Division Tel: (609) 943-5977
DRUG
COURTS
WORK!
Judiciary Adult Drug Court Programs
Administrative Office of the Courts Criminal Practice Division
P.O. Box 982 Trenton, NJ 08625
Carol Venditto, Statewide Drug Court Manager
Tel: (609) 292-3488 E-mail: Carol.Venditto@judiciary.state.nj.us
Atlantic/Cape May Vicinage Drug Court Atlantic County Criminal Courts Complex
4997 Unami Blvd. Mays Landing, NJ 08330
Tel: (609) 909-8113
Bergen Vicinage Drug Court Bergen County Courthouse
Hackensack, NJ 07601 Tel: (201) 527-2405
Burlington Vicinage Drug Court 49 Rancocas Road
Mt. Holly, NJ 08060 Tel: (609) 518-2559
Camden Vicinage Drug Court 101 S. Fifth Street
Camden, NJ 08103 Tel: (856) 379-2200 x 3358
Essex Vicinage Drug Court New Courts Building
50 W. Market Street Newark, NJ 07102
Tel: (973) 693-5983
Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem Vicinage Drug Court Criminal Justice Complex, 1
st fl. Hunter & Euclid Streets
Woodbury, NJ 08096 Tel: (856) 853-3753
Hudson Vicinage Drug Court 595 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07306 Tel: (201) 795-6882
Mercer Vicinage Drug Court 209 South Broad Street
Trenton, NJ 08650 Tel: (609) 571-4067
Middlesex Vicinage Drug Court
1 Kennedy Square New Brunswick, NJ 08903
Tel: (732) 565-5057
Monmouth Vicinage Drug Court 71 Monument Park; P.O. Box 1266
Freehold, NJ 07728-1266 Tel: (732) 677-4551
Morris/Sussex Vicinage Drug Court Washington & Court Street
Morristown, NJ 07960 Tel: (973) 326-6997
Ocean Vicinage Drug Court Ocean County Justice Complex; Room 240
Toms River, NJ 0875 Tel: (732) 929-4780x2125
Passaic Vicinage Drug Court 77 Hamilton Street, 2nd Floor
Paterson, NJ 07505 Tel: (973) 247-8343
Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren Vicinage Drug Court Somerset County
North Bridge Street Somerville, NJ 08876
Tel: (908) 203-6171 Hunterdon County—Main Location
65 Park Avenue Flemington, NJ 08822
Tel: (908) 237-5839 Warren County
Second & Hardwick Streets Belvidere, NJ 07823
Tel: (908) 475-6990
Union Vicinage Drug Court 2 Broad Street
Elizabeth, NJ 07207 Tel: (908) 659-4680
New Jersey Judiciary Administrative Office of the Courts
Statewide Adult Drug Court Programs
What Makes Our Drug Courts Unique?
New Jersey’s drug court design is based on the 10 Key Components
benchmarked by the National Associa-tion of Drug Court Professionals.
These essential elements establish the foundation from which policies and
operating procedures have formed.
A statewide drug court model has emerged in New Jersey that targets
non-violent substance abusing defen-dants who otherwise, without drug
courts, would be bound for state prison, county jail or other sentence.
Stuart Rabner Chief Justice
Hon. Glenn A. Grant, J.A.D. Acting Administrative
Director of Courts John P. McCarthy, Jr., Esq.
Director of Trial Court Services
New Jersey Judiciary Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
25 W. Market St. PO Box 982 Trenton, NJ 08625-0982
njcourts.com
Phone: (609) 943-5977
Fax (609) 292-9659 09/08/08
The Facts Are In ...
