It is no secret that New Hampshire is in the throngs of an opioid crisis, and if you are facing a charge related to opioids or other drugs, you may be wondering whether you will have to serve time. Ultimately, that decision will be based on several factors, such as how serious your charge is and whether you have ever faced similar charges before, but you may, depending on where you live, be offered an alternative to imprisonment.
Drug courts are highly regulated programs that are sometimes available to New Hampshire’s adult drug offenders, although they are not currently operating in all counties. If you are offered participation in drug court, you can expect to take part in a highly regulated and closely supervised program that may include regular court appearances and random or scheduled drug tests. Your program also may include some combination of therapy or treatment for your addiction. While drug courts can prove instrumental in helping you beat your addiction and remain drug-free, they also offer the following benefits.
Crime reduction
Drug courts are shown to reduce crime in the communities where they are available. Not only can they reduce criminal activity by up to 45 percent when compared with more traditional criminal penalties, but they are also shown to have lasting effects on crime reduction.
Family unification
If you take part in drug court and are also a parent, you face a better chance of not only participating, but completing, treatment for your drug addiction. Your children are also less likely to spend considerable time in the care of someone other than you, such as a foster parent.
Statistics show that it also costs notably less to send you through a drug court program than it does to house you in a standard prison setting. If you are facing a drug charge and want to know if drug court is available in your area and a potential option for you, consider contacting a lawyer.
