Georgia takes drug offenses seriously, and if you are facing a drug-related criminal charge and it leads to a conviction, you may be looking at time behind bars. Depending on circumstances, you may be able to avoid going to jail or prison by instead participating in Gwinnett County Drug Court.
Per the County of Gwinnett, drug court is a four-phase intervention program that has two main objectives. The first is to hold drug offenders accountable for their actions. The second is to help give them the tools and resources they need to overcome their dependencies and adopt drug-free lifestyles.
Who drug court accepts
You may be able to gain entry in drug court in Gwinnett County if you plead guilty within the county to one or more non-violent criminal offenses. You also need to have a substance dependency and an inability to get clean and sober on your own to possibly gain entry into drug court.
How drug court works
Once you enroll in drug court in Gwinnett County, you must uphold certain compliance requirements while your participation is ongoing. You must agree to make regular court appearances before a judge or drug court administrator. You also must agree to submit to random drug tests and take part in group and individual counseling sessions. If you are successful in drug court and follow all rules, the court may reward you for good behavior.
If you fail to keep up with the compliance requirements associated with drug court, you may face any number of sanctions. In some cases, you may have to go to jail after all if you enroll in drug court and then fail to follow all associated rules and guidelines.