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The mission of the Lancaster County Adult Drug Court (LCADC) is to increase public safety by providing a program that facilitates access to treatment, implements intensive case management, decreases substance abuse, and returns law-abiding, productive, and responsible citizens to their families and the community.
The Lancaster County Adult Drug Court was established as a post-plea Drug Court in June 2001, to address the recidivism of substance use-related cases, through treatment and intensive supervision. The development and implementation of this court was originally realized with grant funding. Recognizing the immense value in sustaining this court, in September 2004 the Lancaster County Commissioners agreed to place the administration of LCADC in the Lancaster County Department of Community Corrections.
LCADC provides a non-traditional approach to eligible participants when their criminal activity is driven by their substance use addiction.
The Lancaster County Adult Drug Court is a unique partnership between the judicial system, criminal justice system, treatment providers, and the community that structures treatment intervention around the authority and personal involvement of the Lancaster County District Court Judges. LCADC has a non-adversarial courtroom atmosphere where the Drug Court Judge and a dedicated team of court officers, treatment providers, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department, the Lincoln Police Department, and Drug Court staff work together toward a common goal of breaking the cycle of substance use and criminal behavior.
LCADC provides support and rehabilitation through individualized substance use and mental health treatment. LCADC provides other services such as cognitive behavioral therapy, family support, education/employment services, housing, transportation, and makes referrals to community resources. LCADC has partnered with multiple community agencies, programs, and services to build community relationships with the Drug Court and enhance the program’s effectiveness.
If you are interested in participating in the Adult Drug Court program, please contact the Adult Drug Court (Directory), or fill out an INFORMATION REQUEST FORM for further information. In addition, please contact your attorney and request an application be submitted on your behalf.
Information
In April 2022, the Lancaster County Adult Drug Court was named to the exclusive list of national mentor treatment courts by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) and the U.S. Department of Justice. Of the 1,750 Adult Drug Court programs estimated by the Office of Justice Programs, only 10 are selected as national mentor programs with Lancaster County Adult Drug Court being honored as such.
National mentor courts are exemplary treatment courts selected to serve a 3-year term as model programs to assist new or growing courts. Mentor courts follow evidence-based best practices and play a significant role in national training, technical assistance, and research efforts for the nearly 4,000 treatment courts that currently are operating nationwide.
As part of NADCP’s mentor court network for 2022-2024, the Lancaster County Adult Drug Court will help develop, identify, and test national best practices and provide technical assistance to jurisdictions interested in implementing an adult drug treatment court, including hosting site visits by team members from other jurisdictions around the country.
“It is a great honor to recognize this court as one of only 10 mentor courts in the country,” said NADCP Chief of Training and Research Carolyn Hardin. “This program is a shining example of how a combination of accountability and treatment can save lives, reunite families, and make the community safer. As a mentor court, this program is helping to transform our justice system and leading countless people who might otherwise be incarcerated into lives of long-term recovery.”
The Lancaster County Adult Drug Court is administered through the Lancaster County Department of Community Corrections and the Lancaster County District Court. Established in June 2001, the Lancaster County Adult Drug Court has served over 1,000 individuals in the program and has positively impacted the lives of countless family members and friends of each participant, as well as the community at large.
The Lancaster County Adult Drug Court is a post-plea program that strives to promptly screen applicants using validated risk/need assessment tools and a structured screening process to determine eligibility. Completion of the program results in a graduation ceremony where all pending charges are dismissed, easing the strain on correctional services and the courts.
The Lancaster County Adult Drug Court targets high-risk/high-need individuals charged with nonviolent felony offenses whose substance use has led them into the criminal justice system. Program participants receive a highly structured, intensively supervised program individualized to address their specific behavioral health needs.
In partnership with the Lancaster County Attorney’s Office, other alternatives to incarceration including General Diversion, Intensive Supervised Diversion, and Treatment Diversion are provided as separate tracks to applicants not in need of the highly structured programming of the Lancaster County Adult Drug Court. Other specialized programming options include Mental Health Diversion and Veterans’ Treatment Diversion.
NADCP Mentor Court Links
About NADCP
NADCP is the premier training, membership, and advocacy organization for the treatment court model, which now includes nearly 4,000 programs found in every state and four territories of the United States. Since 1994, NADCP and its divisions—the National Drug Court Institute, the National Center for DWI Courts, and Justice For Vets—have trained hundreds of thousands of professionals spanning the legal, clinical, psychosocial, and law enforcement fields. NADCP regularly publishes cutting-edge, research-based materials, and the association works tirelessly to improve the response of the American justice system to people with substance use and mental health disorders. NADCP is a 501(c)(3) organization.
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Adult Drug Court
Physical Address
605 S 10th Street
Suite B131
Lincoln, NE 68508
Phone: : 402-441-3600Fax: : 402-441-3606