A Maryland drug conviction may mean major changes to your lifestyle, and it may, too, mean time behind bars. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your drug offense and whether you meet other eligibility criteria, you may be able to avoid spending time behind bars by instead enrolling in and completing a drug court program in Montgomery County.
According to the Montgomery County, Maryland Circuit Court, the county’s adult drug court program seeks to hold you accountable for your drug offense while giving you tools and resources intended to help you avoid reoffending.
Program information
Recognizing that criminal behavior is often the result of substance dependency, the program seeks to give eligible participants the accountability they need to put their substance abuse issues behind them. If you gain entry into drug court, you must remain a participant for at least 20 months. During that time, you must attend regular treatment sessions and recovery meetings.
You also must attend hearings, check in with a case manager and live in court-approved housing for the duration of the program.
Eligibility requirements
To potentially gain entry into Montgomery County’s drug court, you must be an adult county resident. Then, your situation must meet one of two circumstances. In one scenario, you could have had the state’s attorney’s office refer you to the program. In another, you could be a nonviolent offender and an assessed substance abuser referred to the program due to a violation of probation.
Successfully completing the program may mean more than avoiding jail time. It may also give you the tools and resources you need to get a fresh start in your life.