Family DRUG COURT
A 1999 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study indicated that
roughly 60 percent of child abuse cases nationwide involved drugs and/or
alcohol. In such cases, children who go into foster care remain there
for an average of 11 months, compared to an average of 5 months for children
of non-substance-abusing parents. (Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Weekly, Vol.
14, No. 27, July 15, 2002) Family drug courts in general are designed
to provide prompt evaluation and treatment with frequent monitoring to
enhance compliance with family preservation plans.
- Family Drug Court is a collaborative effort
among the 4th District Juvenile Court , the Office of the Attorney General,
Office of the Guardian Ad Litem, Office of the Public Defender, Western
Region of the Division of Child and Family Services, and the Utah County
Division of Substance Abuse. Utah County’s program has been operating
for over four years and is a model for other programs in the state. A
large number of child abuse and neglect cases are drug and alcohol related,
however, unlike the adult drug court program, parents who find themselves
charged with abuse and/or neglect are not charged with a felony crime
(except in rare circumstances). Family drug court cases are civil
actions. Parents may be involved in the Family Drug Court program
for a period of six to eighteen months depending upon the age of the
child or children involved. Their children may or may not be in their
custody depending upon the charge and what stage of treatment they are
in. Treatment may involve any level of care provided by the Utah County
Division of Substance Abuse, or, in the case of single mothers, in the
Utah Alcoholism Foundation’s House of Hope program for women with
dependent children. The House of Hope provides a setting where women
can have their children with them in residential treatment. (Research
strongly indicates that women are much more likely to succeed in treatment
if they are able to keep their children with them, and that they are
less likely to become involved or remain in treatment if their children
must be placed with family, friends, or in foster care).
- Admission criteria for the program include an adjudicated case with DCFS
related to child abuse and neglect which is drug and/or alcohol related,
a diagnosis of drug and/or alcohol abuse or dependence, a plan for reunification
of the family (if the child/ren are in an out-of-home placement), and
voluntary participation. The program has a capacity of 40 families.
- Discharge criteria include completion of recommended treatment and
no positive drug tests for the final six months of treatment. The incentive
for clients to participate in the program is family reunification versus
termination of parental rights.
- The program contains four phases plus a pre-court phase where eligibility
and motivation for participation is established. Clients must be screened
first by DCFS and then by the family drug court team.
- Clients who participate in the drug court program must pay drug court
fees which include the costs of regular, random drug testing. Funding
for the family drug court program comes from client fees, federal, state,
and county funds, and a drug court grant provided by the Utah State
Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Abuse & Mental Health.
- Please refer to the Links page for drug court web site links.
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