Kentucky Court of Justice
6 participants to graduate from Breckinridge/Grayson/Meade Drug Court program June 4 in Hardinsburg

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Six participants who have successfully completed the Breckinridge/Grayson/Meade Drug Court program will be recognized at a graduation ceremony Monday, June 4, in Hardinsburg. The event will take place at 5 p.m. CDT at the Breckinridge County Justice Center at 112 W. Second St. The public is invited to attend the ceremony.

The graduating class consists of two women and two men from Grayson County, a Breckinridge County woman and a Meade County man.

Chief Circuit Court Judge Robert A. Miller and Circuit Court Judge Bruce T. Butler, who volunteer their time to conduct Drug Court proceedings for the Breckinridge/Grayson/Meade County Drug Court program, will preside over the graduation ceremony. Judges Miller and Butler serve the three-county judicial circuit.

In addition to the public, invitees to the graduation ceremony include law enforcement representatives, elected officials, attorneys and representatives of drug treatment facilities.

The Breckinridge/Grayson/Meade County Drug Court program has 41 participants including those scheduled to graduate June 4. Of the participants, 13 are from Breckinridge County, 17 are from Grayson County and 11 are from Meade County. Twenty-two individuals have graduated from the program since it began in May 2007.

Kentucky Drug Court
Drug Court is proving to be a positive solution to a serious social problem. The success of Drug Court can be measured in the number of lives changed and the cost savings to Kentucky taxpayers. The program has had a significant impact on reducing rearrest, reconviction and reincarceration rates. The program has resulted in increased payment of delinquent child support and improved employment rates. For every $1 spent on Drug Court graduates, the state saves $2.72 on what it would have spent on incarcerating these individuals.

As of Dec. 31, 2011, 4,926 individuals had graduated from Drug Court programs statewide and participants had paid $3.1 million in child support and $3.6 million in restitution and fines.

The Drug Court mission is to provide a court-supervised treatment alternative that stops illicit drug use and related criminal activity and promotes a positive life change through substance abuse education and treatment.

Kentucky Drug Court is administered through the Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort and oversees 55 adult Drug Court programs that serve 115 counties. Drug Court is a division of the AOC Department of Statewide Services.

How Drug Court Works
Drug Court coordinates the efforts of the judiciary, prosecution, defense bar, probation, law enforcement, mental health, social services and treatment communities to actively intervene and break the cycle of substance abuse, addiction and crime.

The program consists of three phases that last a total of at least one year and are followed by aftercare. Drug Court staff and participants work together to develop individual program plans with specific responsibilities and goals with timetables. Plans include group, family and individual counseling; frequent and random urine testing; education and vocational training; scheduled payments of restitution, child support and court fees; and health and community activities. Participants report directly to their Drug Court judge, who rewards progress and sanctions noncompliance.

When participants successfully complete the program, charges may be dismissed through diversion, or conditional discharge may be granted through probation. Judges who participate in Drug Court volunteer their time to the program. Most of the program’s funding comes from state funds approved through the Kentucky General Assembly.

Learn more about Kentucky Drug Court.

Administrative Office of the Courts
The AOC is the operations arm for the state court system and supports the activities of nearly 3,300 court system employees and 403 elected justices, judges and circuit court clerks. As the fiscal agent for the state court system, the AOC also executes the Judicial Branch budget.