Kentucky Court of Justice
Chief Justice Minton to be guest speaker at Northern Kentucky Drug Court graduation Feb. 16

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Chief Justice of Kentucky John D. Minton Jr. will be the guest speaker at a graduation ceremony Wednesday, Feb. 16, for 17 participants who have completed the Northern Kentucky Drug Court program. The ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. EST at Southgate Community Center, 301 W. Walnut St. in Southgate, Ky. The ceremony is open to the public.

The Northern Kentucky Drug Court program is comprised of the Boone/Gallatin County Drug Court program, Campbell County Drug Court program and Kenton County Drug Court program.

Of the graduating participants, nine are from the Boone/Gallatin program, one is from the Campbell County program and seven are from the Kenton County program.

The Campbell County Drug Court program is hosting the graduation ceremony. Campbell County District Court Judge Karen A. Thomas, who serves as the local Drug Court judge, will be the master of ceremonies. Judge Thomas is also the chief regional district judge for the Northern Region.

Kenton County Circuit Court Judge Gregory Bartlett and Chief Circuit Judge Anthony W. Frohlich, who serves Boone and Gallatin counties, are the Drug Court judges for their jurisdictions and will also be involved in the graduation ceremony. Judges Bartlett, Frohlich and Thomas volunteer their time to conduct Drug Court proceedings. In addition, Judge Bartlett is the chief regional circuit judge for the Northern Region.

Invitees to the ceremony include law enforcement representatives, elected officials, attorneys and representatives of drug treatment facilities.

The Boone/Gallatin County Drug Court program began in September 2007 and has 39 participants. The Campbell County Drug Court program started in January 1999 and has 36 participants. The Kenton County Drug Court program began in April 1998 and has 71 participants. The number of participants in each program includes those scheduled to graduate Feb. 16.

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.

The 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.

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.

For more information about Drug Court, visit http://courts.ky.gov/stateprograms/Drug+Court/.

Administrative Office of the Courts
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’s Department of Statewide Services.

The AOC is the operations arm for the state court system and supports the activities of nearly 3,600 court system employees and 403 elected justices, judges and circuit court clerks. As the fiscal agent for the state court system, the AOC executes the Judicial Branch budget.