A district drug court judge briefed the Appling County Commission on the court’s two-year, phased treatment program and asked county officials to coordinate on use of opioid-trust and other funds to expand local services. The presenter said the drug court, which began in the Brunswick judicial circuit in 1998, now serves Appling and Jeff Davis counties through localized services, peer-support specialists and treatment providers.

The judge described drug court as an intensive program that targets higher-risk individuals with substance-use disorders and mandates frequent drug testing, treatment participation, employment and community service. "Drug court is a two-year program. It's very intensive," the judge said, outlining stages of daily and then gradually reduced supervision and the requirement for random, observed drug testing.

The presenter said the program has documented economic and social benefits — reduced incarceration costs, improved employment outcomes and family reunification — and noted the program’s standards and annual reporting requirements under state and national best-practice frameworks. The judge said the region received a grant that will provide approximately $400,000 to expand treatment capacity in Appling County for two years and asked commissioners and county staff to identify local contacts to coordinate spending and services.

Why this matters: Local access to drug-court services influences criminal-justice outcomes, recidivism and county costs for incarceration and medical care; the speaker urged county collaboration to use opioid-related funding efficiently.

Provenance: Presentation runs from 00:47:22 to about 00:56:01 in the meeting transcript.