What is a Misdemeanor Drug Court?

Drug Courts have been proven to work better than jail, probation, and treatment alone. Drug Courts significantly reduce drug use and crime and are more cost-effective than any other proven criminal justice strategy. **

**Sentence from NADCP’s website: http://www.nadcp.org/learn/facts-and-figures

The Cherokee County Misdemeanor Drug Court is a voluntary program. The Misdemeanor Drug Court allows eligible defendants, referred by the Solicitor’s Office, to earn a dismissal of their current misdemeanor charge(s) in exchange for successfully completing an approximate 12-24 month program.

The Misdemeanor Drug Court serves a client population residing in the Cherokee County area.

The Misdemeanor Drug Court’s objective is to divert non-violent, substance-abusing misdemeanor offenders from incarceration to a judicially supervised program of substance abuse treatment, case-management activities, and educational and employment objectives.

The Misdemeanor Drug Court’s ultimate goal is to restore each Drug Court participant to productive citizenry in the community.

Who is eligible for the Misdemeanor Drug Court?

The target group for the Misdemeanor Drug Court includes the following: Repeat possession of Marijuana offenders or first offenders who show they are not able to remain drug free to avail themselves of pre-trial diversion programs, or conditional discharge under O.C.G.A. 16-13-2. Participants must live in or around Cherokee County.

Who is ineligible for the Misdemeanor Drug Court?

Offenders who have violent felony convictions will be presumed to be ineligible. The Misdemeanor Drug Court Team will consider each eligible participant on an individual basis with the presumption that those fitting the target criteria and not in either ineligible group will be admitted to the Program.

What is the incentive for Misdemeanor Drug Court?

Those participants who enter the Misdemeanor Drug Court Program have the opportunity to have their charges dismissed after successful completion of the Program. They may also maintain their driver’s license as well.

Attend 1 session of DUI/Drug Court:

If you are ordered to attend 1 session of DUI Court or Misdemeanor Drug Court, you must come to the DUI/Drug Court Office during business hours with $125.00 money order and you will be scheduled for the next available date. The DUI/Drug Court Office is located at 90 North Street (Justice Center), Suite 370, Canton Georgia 30114. These sessions are scheduled on a first come first serve basis.