Drug Courts in Nevada

What are Nevada Drug Courts?

Drug Courts in Nevada are Specialty Court Programs designed to replace a prison term with a drug rehabilitation program.

Nevada operates Six Drug Courts:

• Adult Criminal Drug Court for felony cases
• Prison Re-Entry Drug Court
• Dependency Mothers Drug Court, established to assist women who have child custody issues due to their addiction
• Juvenile Drug Court
• Dependency Drug Court, for parents, petitioned into court for abuse/neglect of their children
• Child Support Drug Court

How Nevada Drug Court works

The Drug Court is an added condition of a person's probation. which means that on top of regular compliance with probation, a defendant also has to attend special Drug Court hearings.

What to expect

If you are in the Nevada Drug Court system, you can expect:

• Frequent drug testing
• Required Narcotics Anonymous Meetings
• Counseling services
• Frequent Drug Court hearings

The program must last for a minimum of one year.

Who is eligible for Nevada Drug Court?

Typically, only non-violent drug addicts are eligible for adult drug court.

If the arrestee is charged with a crime involving violence or the defendant has been previously convicted of a felony (e.g., drug sale or drug trafficking charges), then he is ineligible for admission into the program.

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Benefits of Drug Courts

By entering the Drug Court program, you may avoid having a first offense drug conviction on your record. Because drug convictions can affect your ability to find a job, housing, or get a Green Card, the Drug Court program, when approved, becomes a much better alternative than having the criminal charges on your record.

What are the restrictions for Nevada Drug Court?

There is a zero-tolerance policy toward any use of drugs or even association with people who may cause you to use drugs. Members of drug courts are not allowed to socialize with many former friends and even family. A probation officer may perform frequent check-ups and drug testing to make sure a person in Drug Court is compliant.

What happens if you are non-compliant with Nevada Drug Court?

Often non-compliance with the terms of Drug Court is immediate grounds for that person to be removed from the Drug Court Program.

In simple words - it means you will go to prison, and you will have a criminal record.

How to apply for Nevada Drug Court

Your Las Vegas criminal defense attorney can petition the judge to sentence you to a Drug Court as an added condition of your probation. It will be part of your sentence and help you avoid prison time.

How do you “Graduate“ from the Nevada Drug Court program?

If the participant completed the required treatment program, the drug treatment counselor would recommend discharging the participant from the program, but, ultimately, the drug court judge makes the final decision.

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How criminal defense attorney can help

Needless to say, that each criminal case is different, and you need to consult a criminal defense attorney to find out if the Drug Court is the right option for you.

Call the office of Heshmati & Associates at 702-432-1000 to discuss your case. The initial consultation is free and confidential.

Criminal defense attorneys at Heshmati & Associates have been very successful in reducing drug charges and often making the charges to be dismissed altogether.

The attorneys at Heshmati & Associates represent clients in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Laughlin, Mesquite, and throughout Nevada.

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