20th Judicial Circuit Drug Court

Drug Court is a court-supervised, comprehensive treatment program for individuals involved in the criminal justice system with substance abuse needs. Drug Courts are designed to divert cases from the traditional court system while helping individuals recover from drug and alcohol addiction and remain in recovery. Drug Courts provide immediate and concentrated treatment with supervision from the judge and drug court team. Objectives include engagement in an individualized treatment plan, receiving education on how to abstain from drug and alcohol usage and stay in recovery, improving community functioning of participants in the areas of employment, education, training and housing, and preventing participants from committing new law offenses.

  • Adult resident of Lee, Collier, Charlotte, or Hendry County with a pending felony charge or violation of state probation within the 20th Judicial Circuit
  • If charges have been filed in a County outside of the County of primary residence, the case may be eligible for transfer under the Florida Problem Solving Court Transfer Guide.
  • Must undergo a clinical eligibility screening by the Drug Court treatment provider and admit to a serious drug problem.
  • Must be willing to follow all recommendations of the Drug Court Treatment Team, participate fully in treatment and court proceedings, and engage in work or school outside of the program.
  • Must be ready and willing to be fully honest and work hard to find a lasting recovery!
  • All referrals will be subject to review and final approval by the Drug Court Team.

Financial Obligations

Participants are responsible for payment of full restitution to any victims of their crimes (the details and amount of which, if any is owed, are negotiated up front and included in the Drug Court Contract). Participants are also responsible for all court costs, fines and fees, as well as the cost of all treatment sessions and drug testing. Participants will need to certify their ability to meet these financial obligations prior to being accepted into Drug Court.

Drug Court participants are required to appear in Drug Court on regular scheduled dates. At each appearance, the Judge will be given a progress report prepared by the treatment provider and/or the probation officer regarding a participant's drug test results, attendance and participation.

Treatment is provided through a team approach with the combined resources of the probation office and the assigned drug treatment staff. The treatment team will assess what level of treatment will best meet a participants needs and recommend outpatient or residential treatment to the Drug Court Judge. If admitted to a residential treatment program, the treatment plan will include the requirements of that program. If not admitted into a residential treatment program, a multi component, outpatient program has been developed.

An "initial" treatment plan will be developed by the participant and your treatment team following an over-all problems and needs assessment. The plan will act as a guide for the initial treatment phase and within it, goals will be set, methods for meeting those goals will be selected, and target dates for achieving those goals will be developed. The plan will be maintained by a treatment team and will be updated as the participant progresses through the program.

Drug testing is done throughout the entire treatment process. Participants will be tested a minimum of one time per week. The Drug Court Judge will have access to all drug test results including any failures to test, and may order a drug test at any time.

The Drug Court Treatment Program is a multi-phase, highly structured, treatment program lasting for a minimum of one year, depending upon the participants' individual progress. Each phase consists of specified treatment objectives, therapeutic and rehabilitative activities and specific requirements for advancement into the next phase.

Upon completion of all terms of the Drug Court Program, the Participant will "Move On" from Drug Court, and the balance of his/her probation will convert to regular reporting probation. Upon completion of all probation terms, the Participant may be granted an early termination of probation, and in some cases (according to the terms of the individual's Drug Court Contract) felony adjudication may be avoided and/or some or all charges may be dropped.

More information on the Drug Court Program can be found by choosing your county below:

Lee County Drug Court

The Honorable Josephine Gagliardi and The Honorable Nicole L. Mirra preside over the Lee County Drug Court program. Drug Court is held on Monday’s with Judge Mirra at 2:00 pm in Courtroom 5C and on Thursday at 2:00 pm in Courtroom 5B in front of Judge Gagliardi on the 5th floor of the Lee County Justice Center located at 1700 Monroe Street, Fort Myers Florida 33901.

For more information about this program and/or to make a referral, please contact Lee County Criminal Division/Pretrial at (239) 533-8400. A referral form (under Related Links) may also be submitted.

A signed Treatment Court Release of Information (under Downloads) must be submitted to LeeTreatmentCourt@ca.cjis20.org in order to move forward with clinical screening.

DOWNLOADS

RELATED LINKS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Administrative Office of the Courts
Lee County Treatment Courts
1700 Monroe Street
Fort Myers, FL 33901
Fax Number: (239) 485-2510

Treatment Courts Manager
Bridget Washburn
bwashburn@ca.cjis20.org
Tel: (239) 533-2887

Charlotte County Drug Court

The Honorable Shannon H. McFee presides over the Felony Drug Court Program. Court is typically held on Friday at 9:30am on the 3rd Floor of the Justice Center. Potential participants are encouraged to observe court sessions for a better understanding of the program and its intent. For more information about this program and/or to make a referral, please contact Charlotte County Pretrial Services at (941) 637-2297 or Paul Martineau at PMartineau@ca.cjis20.org. Referral form may be downloaded (under downloads).

DOWNLOADS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Charlotte County Pretrial Services
3350 East Marion Avenue
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
Tel: (941) 637-2116 x7125

Collier County Drug Court

The Honorable Janeice T. Martin presides over the Felony Drug Court Program. Court is typically held on Tuesday at 1:30pm on the 1st Floor-courtroom 1B of the Collier County Courthouse. Potential participants are encouraged to observe court sessions for a better understanding of the program and its intent. Should you have additional questions after reviewing all items on this website (including downloads), please contact Katie Burrows at (239) 263-4013 x 7125 or katieb@dlcmhc.com.

Hendry County Drug Court

The Honorable James D. Sloan presides over the Felony Drug Court Program. Court is typically held on Monday at 4:00pm on the 3rd Floor of the Justice Center. Potential participants are encouraged to observe court sessions for a better understanding of the program and its intent. For more information about this program and/or to make a referral, please contact the Specialty Court Coordinator at (863) 612-4713 EHutchison@ca.cjis20.org.

DOWNLOADS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Hendry County Courthouse
25 E. Hickpochee Ave.
LaBelle, Florida 33935
Tel: (863) 612-4713