What is DUI Court?
The Cherokee County DUI/Drug Treatment Court is designed to coordinate substance abuse intervention with judicial support through an immediate sanctions and incentives process. Participant entry into the DUI/Drug Treatment Court is voluntary and charges will not be reduced or dismissed upon successful completion of the Program. The objective of the DUI/Drug Treatment Court is to reduce the Driving Under the Influence recidivism through substance abuse intervention with the immediate judicial review. The DUI/Drug Treatment Court works to facilitate the re-licensure of participants in the program. The DUI/Drug Treatment 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. Referrals into the Cherokee County DUI/Drug Treatment Court began on August 25, 2005, with the Honorable C. J. Gober, Jr. as the presiding Judge. Upon Judge Gober’s retirement from the bench in December 2012, the Honorable Judge Alan Jordan joined the court team as presiding judge.
Price Counseling Center is honored to be the treatment provider for The Cherokee County DUI/Drug Treatment Court. Our counselors and staff are dedicated to providing the best experience possible for the participant as they meet their court requirements.
**The following information is intended for DUI 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 scheduling sessions, counseling, medication, AA attendance should be directed to 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 court fee payment, drug testing, 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 court forms and check the testing hotline from their website: 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
**Scroll to the bottom of this page for a court calendar**
Treatment Plan:
Participants are given a 5 phase treatment plan at their intake that they are expected to follow. The treatment plan is a combination of group counseling, individual counseling, and 12 step meetings. The DUI Court Program utilizes Moral Reconation Therapy or MRT. MRT is an evidence-based cognitive behavioral treatment program designed specifically for recovery while under court supervision. Participants must fulfill the requirements of each phase in order to progress up to the next phase.
Participants are required to complete a Phase Movement Form requesting to be moved up a phase. Blank forms can be picked up at our office or the court office. You can also download forms from the court website.
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:
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. The counselors cannot schedule your group attendance. 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 provide proof of their self-help attendance to our office on the weeks that they have
DOWNLOAD: Self Help Attendance Sheet (Adobe PDF File)
Attendance Sheets are due to our office by Tuesday during the weeks that we have court. Sheets turned in after the Tuesday deadline will not be counted and will be reported to court as missing. Failing to submit proof of self-help attendance(or late submissions) can be sanctioned by the court. Participants may turn in their sheets at our office when they attend group, by fax (770-479-5502) or email ([email protected]).
**Additional self-help meetings can be required by the court as part of a sanction.
Drivers License:
All of our counselors are certified clinical evaluators and treatment providers Georgia DUI Intervention Program. The DUI Court Program qualifies as your required treatment. You will not need to attend any other counseling to get your license reinstated as long as you remain in good standing in DUI Court.
Participants are required to provide us a copy of their Risk Reduction Program Completion Certificate and need Summary Score for our files. We must have these copies in order to provide a participant with either a Treatment Enrollment Form or Treatment Completion Certificate. You must contact our office to request treatment forms. We do not automatically provide them. It can take up to two business days for our office to process your request.
While we are familiar with state laws, each participant’s case is unique. We cannot tell a participant the current status of their license. To get that info and the full list of requirements needed for reinstatement, you must contact the Georgia Department of Driver Services at 404-657-9300 or through their website. We highly recommend that you contact the DDS first before you contact our office to request treatment forms.
The Department of Driver Services Website has a list of certified Risk Reduction Programs (aka DUI Schools) and Interlock Service Providers. For more info go to:
http://www.dds.ga.gov/dui/index.aspx
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 a Medical Advisory Form signed by a physician whenever they seek medical attention. 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. It is very important that you keep the team updated on your health concerns and medications you are taking.
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. Participants must have the approval to take new medications PRIOR to use. If you have a medical emergency after hours, you may contact the counselor on call by following the instructions for an emergency on our office voice mail. The counselor will give you instructions on how to proceed. If a participant wishes to take over the counter medication, they should refer to the Guide to Medications in the DUI Court Handbook for a list of approved medications. Questions regarding over the counter medications or supplements should be directed to the court office PRIOR to use.
Using narcotics, benzodiazepines or stimulants is prohibited without prior approval of the court team.
More information:
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Court Calendar: