Denver Drug Court Back in Action

DENVER — After a five-year hiatus, the city’s $1.2 million drug court has returned with a new system that is expected to create more room for inmates in jails and provide rehabilitative services for drug offenders.

The court will process drug offender cases, which are expected to account for 40 percent of the city’s criminal charges this year, within five days of arrest. This system is expected to free up about 130 jail beds every day.

The drug court was designed to aid people with drug addictions and rehabilitate them. People suspected of weapons violations, sexual or criminal assault, or possession of large amounts of drugs will not be seen in the court. A judge will decide who is eligible for the program.

Individuals who go through the drug court will enter a nine-month program that will include probation, mental health treatment and random drug testing. Offenders will be monitored for two years following the completion of the program. Those who do not comply with the program will face penalties such as stricter supervision and possible incarceration.

Approximately 1,800 defendants will participate in the drug court program each year, according to city officials. The new court will be staffed with three magistrates and three clerks, as opposed to the previous court that only used one district judge to preside over the program. Previously, the drug court was funded by state and federal sources. It is now funded by the city’s crime commission.

The drug court of Denver was implemented in 1994, but was disbanded in 2002 after District Court Judge William G. Meyer, who spearheaded the program, retired.