Denver Drug Court celebrates 20th anniversary

The Denver Drug Court recently celebrated its 20th anniversary after being established in 1994 as one of the first drug courts in the country.  The anniversary was commemorated at a special graduation ceremony, marking 24 participants’ completion of an intensive treatment program that includes probation supervision, in-court review hearings, substantial judicial oversight and full accountability on the part of the participant.

According to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, eligible drug-addicted persons may be sent to a drug court in lieu of traditional justice system case processing. Drug courts keep individuals in treatment while supervising them closely. Participants are provided with intensive treatment and services to get and stay clean and sober, and they are held accountable by the drug court judge for meeting their personal, family, legal and societal obligations. Sometimes, participants are required to be monitored with alcohol monitoring systems such as the BI TAD or SOBERLINK SL2, a portable and effective remote breath test device. Participants appear frequently in court for progress updates.

Since 2007, Denver Drug Court has served nearly 4,000 participants and more than 2,000 have graduated. Currently, the court has more than 700 participants.

The anniversary took place in conjunction with National Drug Court Month, which honors the 25th anniversary of the first drug courts in the United States.

At GEO Reentry Services, we work to provide successful alternative detention programs around the country. Like the Denver Drug Court, our intensive programs are designed to change criminal behavior by treating the problem at the source, including substance-abuse treatment and life-skills prep classes, with larger goal of reducing recidivism and the high costs of incarceration while keeping the public safe.

Learn more about our approach.