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What Is JCDI?

The commitment of JCDI is to stop the abuse of alcohol and other drugs and related criminal activity. JCDI offers a compelling choice for individuals whose criminal justice involvement stems from drug use: participation in treatment. In exchange for successful completion of the treatment program, the District Attorney’s office may dismiss the original charge, reduce or set aside a sentence, offer some lesser penalty, or offer a combination of these.

JCDI transforms the roles of both criminal justice practitioners and drug treatment providers. The judge is the central figure in a team effort that focuses on sobriety and accountability as the primary goals. Because the judge takes on the role of trying to keep participants engaged in treatment, providers can effectively focus on developing a therapeutic relationship with the participant. In turn, treatment providers keep JCDI informed of each participant’s progress so that rewards and sanctions can be provided.

JCDI creates an environment with clear and certain rules. The rules are definite, easy to understand, and most important, compliance is within the individual's control. The rules are based on the participant's performance and are measurable. For example, the participant appears in JCDI court or does not, attends treatment sessions or does not, drug tests reveal drug use or abstinence. The participant's performance is directly communicated to the Drug Court judge, who rewards progress or penalizes noncompliance. JCDI establishes an environment that the participant can understand--a system in which clear choices are presented and individuals are encouraged to take control of their own recovery.

Jefferson County Drug Intervention Program

The Jefferson County Drug Intervention Program was started in 1993 and was the first Drug Court in Texas. As of 4/1/08, 2165 clients have received program services.

FY 2007

As of September 1, 2006, 112 clients were in the JCDI program. Another 187 were admitted to the program during the fiscal year bringing the total to 299 clients served during fiscal year 2007. Sixty-Six participants completed the program successfully. A total of 118 clients were discharged for the following reasons: 20 absconded, 1 died, 32 were dropped before their contract was signed, 11 inappropriately placed (mental or medical condition significantly interfered with their ability to participate and their needs would be better met by other programs), 38 for noncompliance issues, 10 referred to the Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility (SAFPF) for long term residential treatment, 2 administratively closed (transfer to Dallas County and 180 days State Jail up front time) and 4 were revoked.

For those entering the program during the fiscal year (187 clients), 47% were African American, 7% Hispanic, 44% Caucasian, 1% Asian and 1% other. Males accounted for 56% of the participants and females 44%. The greatest percentage of clients were in the 22-30 age bracket (41%), followed by 21% age 19-21, 18% age 31-40, 11% age 41 and over, and 9% age 17-18.

Eight drug free babies were born to clients during fiscal year 2007. One baby born tested positive for amphetamine and Children’s Protective Services intervened. Five clients earned their GED or High School Diploma and five clients were enrolled in school at graduation. Sixty-Five of the 66 graduates were employed full time at graduation; one was disabled and received disability income.

Therapeutic strategies used to gain judicial treatment compliance were as follows: 33 - verbal reprimands, 9 - essay assignments, 24 - three times per week urine screens, 2 -three times per week group, 115 clients sanctioned to a total of 2082 hours of work release, 49 - attendance of 30 AA/NA meetings in 30 days, 21 - MRT group attendance, 6 - zero tolerance, 19 - therapeutic case reviews, 22 - phase reductions, 10 - work crew until employed and 24 - residential treatment orders. Jail sanctions included 112 clients sanctioned to a total of 994 jail days and 28 clients sanctioned to 71 weekends in jail. Longer jail sanctions were used when a client could not stay clean and sober at the level of treatment offered by JCDI and SAFPF was needed. Those thirteen clients accounted for 273 days of the 994 days in jail (27%).

Forty-four court sessions were held during the fiscal year. Of the forty sessions held from 10/1/07 – 8/31/07, there were 431 (35%) excellent reports, 40 (3%) very good reports, 310 (25%) good reports and 85 (7%) fair reports. The therapeutic strategies and sanctions listed in the preceding paragraph accounted for 30% of the court reports.

What services are offered?

This program has a variety of services available to the cliental. These services include:

Alcohol and Drug Assessment
H.I.V. Education (Risk Assessment and Referral, Testing and Post-test Counseling)
Urinalysis surveillance
Individual Counseling
Group Education (12-Step Orientation, Relapse Prevention, Moral Recognition Therapy)
Educational and Vocational referral and follow-up
Case Management
Court Monitoring
Transportation to and from scheduled clinical activities

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JCDI AND OUR COMMUNITY
Mental Health Services
Social Services
Housing
Mentoring Programs
Employment/Job Training
Service Organizations
Literacy Programs
Recreational/Libraries
Law Enforcement/Probation
Treatment
Arts
Health
Faith Community
Family Therapy
Government Agencies/Officials
Community Foundations
Schools/Colleges/Universities
Businesses
Community-Based Organizations
Residents

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Roles and Responsibilities of the JCDI Team

Eligibility for the JCDI Program

Key Components

JCDI Women Group

General Education Diploma Program