Denton County's adult drug treatment court, which turned 10 this week, would add a second docket in the 211th District Court starting Jan. 1 under a request on the Commissioners Court agenda for Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The program now runs one docket in the 211th and one in the 462nd District Court. Demand "has grown significantly" since the court began in 2016, Judges Brody Shanklin of the 211th and Lee Ann Breading of the 462nd wrote in their memo asking for the expansion. The 462nd was added in October 2023. The memo lists no financial impact for the new docket.
How the program works
The court is aimed at high-risk felony offenders with substance abuse problems who show a real desire to stop, according to the judges' memo. Participation is voluntary, and people typically stay in the program 18 to 24 months under court supervision.
Depending on their needs, participants may get residential, intensive outpatient or supportive outpatient treatment. They face random drug tests, scheduled office and court visits, scheduled and surprise field visits and support group meetings, and the program stresses holding steady jobs and housing.
Ten years in
The same agenda includes a proclamation marking the court's anniversary. It says the court was established Oct. 11, 2016, has served more than 200 people and has graduated nearly 100. The proclamation also says the court saves an average of more than $6,000 for each person it serves and was chosen as one of 10 courts nationwide for a research study by All Rise.
