New state funds have been allotted to a DUI rehabilitation program in Troup County, Georgia, and court officials say the money will largely be earmarked as the salary of a new coordinator to be hired.
The DUI / drug court program is designed to help rehabilitate individuals convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and to discourage them from committing the offense again. It is a 12-month, 3-phase post adjudication program that utilizes thorough supervision and effective drug treatment to help rehabilitate past offenders.
Among the methods used toward this end is the SCRAM technology (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor) monitoring system, which serves as a 24/7 substance monitor and is worn for the first 90 days by every individual in the drug court. The program is intense, requiring a minimum of 55 to 65 hours of group and individual work during each of the first 20 weeks. The second level also lasts 20 weeks and continues the treatment phase of the program, with the third 12-week level serving as an "aftercare" for patients.
This upcoming fiscal year, the program will receive a state grant of $72,257 from the Georgia Accountability Court Funding Committee, in what will amount to the largest state grant yet received by the program. These funds will go toward paying a program coordinator's salary, as well as drug testing and office supplies and a new computer and printer for the program coordinator, among other things.
S. Hicks, a spokeswoman for the county's court services, said she hopes to see the position filled by July 1st. Since the state funding has only been guaranteed for one year, the coordinator position will include a 1-year conditional, after which time the county will re-assess the situation based on the renewal or discontinuation of state funds.