How drug court works
Supervised treatment instead of a prison sentence.
What the program asks of people, and why it works better than incarceration.
The basic idea
A person facing certain non-violent felony charges, whose offense is driven by a substance use disorder, may be referred to drug court instead of moving through traditional case processing. Rather than a cell, they get a treatment plan and a judge who watches their progress closely.
The commitment is real: a minimum of 57 weeks, and most people find it harder than the sentence they would otherwise have served. That is the point. Drug courts keep people in treatment long enough for treatment to actually work.
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Intensive treatment and support
Participants receive the treatment and services they need to reach and sustain recovery — clinical care, counseling, and the practical supports around it.
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Accountability to the judge
Participants are held accountable by the drug court judge for meeting their obligations to the court, to the community, to their families, and to themselves.
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Regular, random drug testing
Testing is frequent and unannounced. It is what makes the accountability meaningful rather than theoretical.
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Frequent court appearances
Participants appear in court often so the judge can review progress directly, in person, rather than through paperwork.
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Incentives and sanctions
Doing well is rewarded. Falling short brings a graduated sanction. The Foundation funds many of the incentives — the small, concrete recognitions that make progress visible.
The evidence
Why courts and county commissions keep funding this.
- Drug courts reduce substance use.
- Drug courts reduce crime.
- Drug courts save public money.
- Drug courts restore lives.
- Drug courts keep families together and reunite children with parents.
In Flagler County, 248 people have graduated since the program began in December 2006, and about three in four graduates are still arrest-free two years after graduating.
Drug courts currently reach only a fraction of the people in the justice system living with a substance use disorder. Breaking the cycle of substance use and crime means putting a drug court within reach of everyone who needs one — including here.
The taxpayer arithmetic
$7,840 a year, or $34,898 a year.
Incarceration — Florida
$34,898
per person, per year$95.61 per person per day — Florida Department of Corrections full operating cost, FY 2024–25 actual.
Drug court — Florida
$7,840
per participant, per yearStatewide average annual cost per drug court participant, per the Florida Legislature's program evaluation office.
Sources, with the caveat stated plainly.
Incarceration: Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research, capital and operating costs adopted by the Criminal Justice Estimating Conference, February 2026 (PDF). The $34,898 is the FY 2024–25 actual and excludes debt service and indirect administrative costs, so it is if anything an understatement.
Drug court: OPPAGA Report 14-02 (2014), the most recent Florida-specific per-participant figure available. It is in 2014 dollars; inflation-adjusted it would be roughly $10,000–$11,000 today. Even on that basis, drug court costs well under a third of a prison bed.
For employers
Hiring someone in the program is a better bet than you think.
Ask yourself how often you drug test the people already on your payroll. For most employers the honest answer is never.
A drug court participant is tested two to three times a week, at random. On top of that they have a judge, a probation officer, a state attorney and a full treatment team all watching whether they show up and do the work. You will not find a more closely supervised employee anywhere.
We work with local employers to place participants and graduates, and we are happy to walk you through how it works before you commit to anything.
What the Foundation adds
The court cannot buy a car part or a bus fare, and it cannot reach outside its own jurisdiction. We can. A judge who can see that somebody needs a scooter to get to treatment can refer that person to us and it gets handled — no budget cycle, no hearing.
We charge the court nothing for any of it. It is all fundraising and donations, and it is one of the reasons our judges say they would not want to run this program without a foundation behind it.
Common questions
Who is eligible for drug court in Flagler County?
[CLIENT / COURT TO CONFIRM] Eligibility is set by the Seventh Judicial Circuit, not by the Foundation. We need the current criteria — charge types, prior record limits, residency, and the referral route — before publishing anything here, because a wrong answer could keep someone from applying.
How does someone get referred?
[CLIENT / COURT TO CONFIRM] Who initiates a referral — defense counsel, the State Attorney, the judge, or self-referral — and the contact for the drug court coordinator.
How long does the program take?
A minimum of 57 weeks. The actual length depends on the person's progress through the program's phases.
What does the Foundation pay for?
We fund the things the court budget does not cover: transportation to treatment and court, car repairs, driver’s license reinstatement, GEDs, housing deposits, specialized treatment, life skills programming, graduations, free Narcan, and community training. We do not pay for drug testing — that is part of the court program — and we do not pay anyone’s fines. See Ways to Give.
Is the Foundation part of the court?
No. We are an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 27-1349987) that supports the program. Having a nonprofit backing a public agency is unusual — it is what lets the program act quickly without waiting on a budget cycle.
Help fund the parts the court can't.
A ride, a car part, a kit, a graduation. Small things, at the exact moment they matter.