What Is Court-Ordered Rehab?

Court-ordered rehab is a form of alternative sentencing for convicted criminals. Most people who are addicted receive court-ordered rehab following an arrest for a crime they committed while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The correlation between crime and substance abuse is strong and the disease of addiction will often cause an addicted person to resort to illegal activities to obtain a substance.

If a prison term does not match the nature of the crime or the judge decides the person would benefit more from drug rehab rather than jail, the person convicted of the crime may be required to attend mandatory court-ordered rehab. A person may get court-ordered rehab if:

• Their crime was a direct or indirect result of drug dependence
• The crime was nonviolent
• They qualify for probation
• The judge believes the person would benefit from going to rehab instead of jail

There are several different types of court-ordered rehab, such as group counseling or inpatient residential treatment, and a person’s sentence will vary depending on his or her drug abuse history and the nature of the crime that was committed.

How Effective is Court-Ordered Rehab?

Involuntary addiction treatment may be just as effective as voluntary treatment. Although forcing a person to go to drug rehab is not always an ideal way to promote long-term sobriety, it is much more promising than the alternative, which is jail.

When incarcerated, a person is forced to detox and maintain abstinence from drugs and alcohol for a certain period of time. But this period of abstinence will most likely end when the person is released from prison.

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence states that about 95 percent of inmates return to drug and alcohol abuse after their release. Additionally, 60 to 80 percent of drug abusers commit another drug-driven crime after they are released from prison.

Instead of continuing this cycle of incarceration and crime, why not teach drug-related offenders how addiction works, help them learn how to avoid relapse, and give them the tools and skills they need to maintain long-term sobriety?

When fulfilled, court-ordered rehab can provide more opportunities for a person to adopt genuine, lasting change, learn how to live a life of sobriety, and stay out of prison for good.

The Process at Nova Recovery Center

The admissions team at Nova Recovery Center is fully capable and prepared to provide legal counsel with the most appropriate and convenient service possible. We will provide attorneys with all the information they need to ensure their client gets the proper treatment he or she needs. This includes tangible materials for the judge that will allow an individual to be ordered to treatment instead of jail.

Our Admissions Coordinators also work with the client’s treatment team once he or she is admitted to be sure that attorneys, probation/parole officers, bail bondsman, and judges are all provided the necessary updates as required. Upon the completion of rehab, a designated Addiction Monitoring Program (AMP) Coach will continue to communicate with legal entities throughout the client’s sober living program.

At Nova, we are proud to offer an affordable 15-month continuum of care for our clients, which provides more than a full year of individualized, high-quality treatment. If you are an attorney seeking court-ordered rehab for a client, please contact the admissions team at Nova Recovery Center today.