Specialized Court Programs

DRUG COURT

The Pennington County drug court program has been operating since 2016. The five-phase intervention program helps people who are significantly affected by drug addictions. The program differs in length based on the individual participant, but takes a minimum of fourteen months to complete. Pennington County had their first drug court participant graduate on March 21, 2018. The program continues to grow each year.

 

DUI COURT

Pennington County DUI Court continues to enhance public safety by ensuring accountability through supervision, treatment and the support of community partnerships by reforming substance abuse offenders to sober law-abiding citizens. The Court provides habitual DUI offenders with the tools necessary for long term sobriety and helps address any problems these individuals are facing that are commonly the root of the substance abuse.   However, working your way through DUI Court is no easy task. It typically takes an individual around two years to complete the program, with much of their time dedicated to treatment, AA meetings, regular visits with Court Service Officers, and at least once a month they have to go before the Judge. Every service available is offered to these individuals to provide the best chance of long term sobriety.

 

VETERANS COURT

The Pennington County Veterans Treatment Court is a voluntary program that provides intensive case management to adult felony offenders whose service in the U.S. Armed Forces has resulted in substance abuse and/or mental health disorders.  The Veterans Treatment Court program is challenging and requires accountability on behalf of the veteran participants.  The veteran participants are held accountable through regular court appearances before the Veterans Treatment Court Judge, frequent and random drug testing, substance abuse counseling and/or mental health counseling in individual and group settings, educational classes, a system of behavior modification based on incentives and sanctions, and intense community supervision by the Veterans Treatment Court Team.  The mission of the Pennington County Veterans Treatment Court is to successfully rehabilitate veterans by redirecting them from the traditional criminal justice system, and providing them with the resources and earned benefits they need to lead productive law-abiding lives.  The program length depends on each veteran participant’s progress in meeting the requirements of the Veterans Treatment Court, but is no less than one year.