Criminal Division Services
Criminal Division Services (CDS) is the supervising division of Allen Superior Court and it consists of three specific departments: Drug Court Program, Alcohol Countermeasures Program (ACP), and Pretrial Services. Each of the Program’s primary goals are to improve public safety, reduce alcohol and drug related criminal activity as necessary and deviant behavior, and to improve the quality of life of offenders, their family members and the public by guiding offenders towards overall life improvements. CDS was created as an umbrella agency for these three programs in 2002 via a large-scale consolidation effort on the Court’s part as it strives to serve Allen County in the most efficient and effective manner possible.
Alcohol Countermeasures Program
ACP is a free-standing Court Alcohol and Drug Program and derives its authority to operate from IC 12-23-14 in accordance with Indiana Judicial Conference Rules for Court-Administered Alcohol and Drug Programs. ACP provides problem-solving alcohol and drug services to substance use-involved offenders charged with or convicted of predominantly misdemeanor offenses and who are determined to be in need of intervention, education, referral, treatment and/or rehabilitation for substance use in addition to Court supervision. These offenders are sentenced to the Program by Allen Superior Court and the Program accepts these offenders pursuant to the Court’s authority under I.C. 35-50-3-1 to suspend any part of a sentence for a misdemeanor and elect not to place the offender on probation, while limiting the services provided to that offender by the Program to those authorized by I.C. 12-23-14-6. The Program operates as an assessment, referral and supervision agency designed to change the offender’s alcohol/drug abuse patterns and lifestyle. The Program successfully collaborates with a multitude of community resources and agencies. The Program is committed to providing the best possible rehabilitation services that can be offered to the offender regardless of the length of sentence. The length of supervision on the Program is driven by charge class (C misdemeanor 60 day sentence, B misdemeanor 180 day sentence and A misdemeanor 365 day sentence).
Drug Court Program
The Allen Superior Court Drug Court program is a free-standing Problem-Solving Court Program that promotes abstinence, recovery, lasting change and community safety through a coordinated response to offenders who abuse and/or meet criteria for a substance use disorder of alcohol and/or other drugs. The program combines alcohol and drug prevention and/or treatment with the structure and authority of the judiciary by connecting drug court participants to a broad range of services and other necessary treatment interventions. The program takes an innovative non-traditional holistic collaborative approach to prevention and/or treatment within the judicial system in an effort to prevent, curtail, or end the abuse of alcohol or other drug use as well as criminal activity associated with it or triggered by it.
Drug Court derives its authority to operate from IC 33-23-16 and in accordance with Indiana Judicial Conference Problem-Solving Courts Rules. The program receives direct referrals from Allen Superior Court and transferred cases from Allen Circuit Court and surrounding counties. The program may also receive technical violator referrals from Allen County Adult Probation. The targeted population for the program are criminal offenders charged with alcohol/drug related offenses, individuals who are identified as having committed other offenses to support their substance use habit, and certain operating while intoxicated offenses. The program operates as an assessment, referral and supervision agency through the use of intensive case management and judicial monitoring. The Program staff develops assessment-driven therapeutic case management plans that are designed to address identified criminogenic needs of participants. The program uniquely utilizes a system of graduated sanctions for non-compliance and incentives for adhering to program requirements. The overall goal is to attempt to reduce recidivism and to reduce the link between substance abuse and criminal activity by connecting offenders to prevention or treatment services, pro-social and/or adaptive habilitation services, and other adjunctive services (as clientele needs dictate) and guiding them towards long term sobriety and overall life skills development.
Drug Court utilizes a system of incentives and sanctions, the magnitude of which is relevant to risk/needs as well as proximal and distal behaviors. The structure of the program emphasizes and allows for an individualized approach that tailors the dosage of treatment services and other pro-social interventions to one’s risk and needs. The Adult Drug Court Best Practice Standards (Vol I & II) along with the 10 Key Components of Drug Courts (as published by the Drug Court Program Office of the United States Department of Justice) provide the operational foundation for the Drug Court program and contributes to the program’s implementation of the eight Principles Of Effective Interventions (as published by the National Institute of Corrections).
The program consists of three phases, each of which include minimum goals that must be reached in order to advance to the next phase. The typical period of participation in the program is approximately 12 to 18 months. The frequency of Court appearances, case manager contacts, community supervision (field visits) and support group meetings is assessment driven and determined by a client’s Program Track placement along with the client’s level of compliance with their individual Program requirements. Random urinalysis is also an important component of the Program.
Drug Court is a cost-effective benefit to the taxpayer in the long run because it avoids or reduces future criminal justice costs including law enforcement efforts, judicial case-processing, and victimization resulting from future criminal activity. By reducing future criminal justice costs while at the same time facilitating the acquisition or enhancement of academic vocational and pro-social skills development in offenders, not only does the community benefit through future criminal justice cost avoidance but the offender benefits by achieving sobriety and maintaining gainful employment as a tax-paying citizen.
Pre-Trial Services
PTS derives its authority to operate from IC 35-33-8 and is responsible for the Court-ordered release and then supervision of criminal defendants who are out of custody awaiting disposition in their criminal case. PTS maintains regular in-person contacts with offenders assuring compliance with their conditions of release from custody. This department operates six days per week through a first and second shift schedule.