What is Misdemeanor Drug Court?

The Cherokee County Misdemeanor Drug Court was established in March 2011 with the Honorable Dee Morris as the presiding Judge. The objective of the Misdemeanor Drug Court is to reduce recidivism through substance abuse intervention with the immediate judicial review. The Misdemeanor Drug Court is a partnership among the Courts, the Solicitors Office, the Defense Bar, Law Enforcement, Probation Services, and local, licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Providers. It is coordinated through the DUI/Drug Treatment Court Office in the Cherokee County Courthouse.

Price Counseling Center is honored to be the treatment provider for The Cherokee County Misdemeanor Drug Court. Our counselors and staff are dedicated to providing the best experience possible for the participant as they meet their court requirements.

Scroll to the bottom of this page for a court calendar

**The following information is intended for DRUG Court participants only**
Questions regarding a person’s eligibility for the program should be directed to

Angela D’Agata at the DUI/Drug Court Office at 678-493-6450

Questions for our office regarding schedules, counseling, medications, AA attendance should be directed to the Group Program Administrator, Anna Bishop. Ms. Bishop is available to assist participants with their questions regarding the treatment program by phone (770-479-5501) or email ([email protected]) during our regular office hours.

Questions regarding fee payment, drug testing lab, travel requests, court attendance and essays should be directed to the Cherokee County DUI/Drug Court office 678-493-6450. The Court Office’s website has the latest court announcements. You can also download frequently used court forms and check the testing hotline from the web: Cherokee County DUI/Drug Court Office

Questions regarding community service work, SCRAM monitoring/downloading, probation fines, fees and appointments should be directed to Georgia Probation Management 770-720-2818

Treatment Plan:

Participants must attend group and individual counseling weekly as scheduled. As you progress through the program the amount of counseling required changes.

Phase Length of Phase Required Treatment

1 Minimum 90 days 2 group sessions per week: 1 individual session

2 Minimum 90 days 2 group sessions per week; 1 individual session

3 Minimum 90 days 1 group session per week; 1 individual session

4 Minimum 90 days 2 group sessions per month; 1 individual session

All participants are given a DUI/Drug Court Handbook which addresses general court issues when they began the program. In addition, Price Counseling has created our own Treatment Handbook to address the most common questions we receive from the participants. This handbook addresses: detailed treatment plan by phase, group attendance policy, self-help meetings(aka AA meetings), sanctions, drug testing questions and other helpful hints to help participants as they go through the program. A copy of the handbook will be given to each participant at their counseling intake.

Group Schedule:

Price Counseling offers two different group schedules for participants. To schedule or change your group schedule you must call our office during regular office hours and speak with a member of our office staff. Please do not try to reschedule with the counselors during your group sessions. The office staff manages the group schedule for the counselors. In order for our records to be accurate, you must speak to them. Participants will be notified well in advance of any schedule changes due to holidays. We will update our office voice mail as well as our Facebook page and Twitter when there is a need to cancel group due to inclement weather or another unforeseen emergency.

Self Help Meetings(AA, NA, 12 step programs):

Participants are required to attend 2 Self Help Meetings per week**. Participants must provide proof of their self-help attendance to our office on the weeks that they have court (see calendar below for court dates). Participants may turn in their sheets at group, by fax (770-479-5502) or email ([email protected]). Blank attendance sheets are available at the counseling office or you can download a copy here:

Download: Self Help Attendance Sheet (Adobe PDF File)

Self-help meetings can be any recognized 12 step program such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous or Celebrate Recovery. Court dates, probation appointments, MADD Victim Impact Panel and Risk Reduction Program DOES NOT COUNT toward your self-help requirements

Deadline to turn in attendance sheets during court week is Monday by midnight. Sheets turned in after the deadline will not be counted and will be reported to court as missing. Participants who fail to submit proof of self-help attendance by the deadline can be sanctioned by court.=

**Additional self-help meetings can be required by the court as part of a sanction.

Medications and Participant Health:

We want all of our patients to take care of their health. Due to the nature of this program, it is very important that participants should be honest when seeking medical attention. Some medications and treatments are inappropriate for a person in recovery. You must tell your doctors that you are in a recovery program. Participants are required to have their physician sign a Medical Advisory Form when they seek medical attention. Prescription medications must be approved in advance before being taken. If you have a medical emergency after hours, you may contact our counselor on call by following the instructions on our office voice mail for instructions on how to proceed.

In addition to medications that are prohibited in the program, there are also medications or supplements that should be avoided while in the program due to the possibility of false positive tests. Participants should report all health concerns, medication and supplement use at their initial intake appointments. If there are any changes in their health or medication while in the program, participants should report the changes ASAP to the court office. If you wish to take over the counter medications, please refer to Court Guide to Medications in your DUI Court Handbook for a list of approved medications. Questions regarding over the counter medications or supplements should be directed to our office PRIOR to use.

Use of narcotics, benzodiazepines or stimulants is prohibited without prior approval of the court team.