Participant Handbook
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58th District Court Sobriety Treatment Program Participant Handbook Revised 10/2014 Welcome! Welcome to the Ottawa County Sobriety Treatment Program (STP). This handbook is designed to answer your questions and provide overall in- formation about the program. As a participant, you will be expected to CONTENTS follow the instructions given to you by the Judge and to comply with the Welcome treatment plan developed for you by the case manager and treatment Overview team. The STP Team This handbook will detail what is expected of you as a participant. It will Confidentiality review general program information. We are confident the STP will help Progress Reports you learn how to make successful choices free of the influence of drugs Review Hearings or alcohol. Court Room Rules Program Rules Overview Narcotic Medications 12 Step Meetings The STP is a four phase intervention program for adults who have pled Incentives guilty to more than one alcohol offense and who are having difficulty Sanctions staying clean and sober. It is a collaborative effort between the District Home Visit Guidelines Court, the Prosecutor’s Office, your defense attorney, community agen- Alcohol and Drug Testing cies, case management, and treatment programs. By working together, Program Phases the team seeks to provide a variety of programs and consistent supervi- Restricted License sion geared toward supporting and helping you maintain a drug and al- Ignition Interlock cohol free life. The STP involves frequent court appearances, random Driver Responsibility Fee drug and alcohol testing, as well as group and individual counseling. The Termination From Program Court awards incentives for compliant behavior and imposes sanctions Commencement for negative behavior. Participants who do not comply with the rules may Alumni Reunions be placed in short-term custody, have phase advancement delayed, or Conclusion face a variety of other sanctions. They may also be terminated from the Phone Numbers program. All of the staff working with the program will assist you to be sure you understand what is expected of you. Sanctions for violations of STP rules, or the probation order, may be imposed by the Court without formal probation violation hearings. If the factual basis for the claimed violation is disputed, partici- pants have the right to a hearing by the Court to determine whether or not the violation occurred. If the proposed sanction involves a jail term, the participant has the right to demand a formal proba- tion violation hearing with representation by an attorney, including a court appointed attorney if the participant cannot afford one. If a violation involves the possibility of termination from the STP or revocation of probation, the Court will proceed by way of a formal probation violation. P a g e 2 Participant Handbook The STP Team The STP Judge will make all decisions regarding your participation in the STP, with input from the team. Prior to the STP review, the team members receive an update from the case managers regarding your progress. In addition to the Judge, the team consists of the following members: Defense Attorney- Protects the rights of the defendant. Prosecuting Attorney- Assists in reviewing cases for eligibility. Case Managers- Provide direct supervision of participants. Treatment Providers– Responsible for educating participants and helping them deal with alcohol and drug abuse issues. Surveillance Officers– Conduct home visits to ensure program compli- ance. Saving Lives, Reuniting Families, and Improving Communities Confidentiality By law, your identity and privacy are to be protected. In response to these regulations, the STP team has developed policies and procedures that guard your privacy. You will be asked to sign a Consent for Disclosure of Confidential Substance Abuse Information form. This disclosure of infor- mation is for the sole purpose of hearings and reports concerning your specific STP case. The Consent expires upon the successful or unsuccess- ful completion of probation. Progress Report sss Review Hearings Before your hearing, the Judge will be given a As a STP participant, you will be required progress report presented by your case manager to appear in court on a regular basis. The or treatment provider. The progress report will number of times you must appear de- discuss your drug testing results, attendance, pends on the phase you are in. Failure participation and cooperation in the treatment to appear will result in a warrant issued program, employment or other requirements that for your arrest and detention in jail until may have been imposed. The Judge may ask you can appear before the Judge. If you questions about your progress and discuss any have questions about your court appear- problems you may be having. If your progress ances, you may contact your case man- report shows that you are not doing well, the ager. Judge will discuss this with you and determine future action, which could include a sanction in order to help you remember your goals in the pro- gram. Sanctions can be anything from increased program requirements to jail. P a g e 3 Courtroom Rules • All individuals participating in the program must adhere to the following rules. Remembering that although this is not the traditional court proceeding, it is still a court proceeding and partici- pants shall govern themselves accordingly. • When addressing the Judge, the participant shall approach the bench with the utmost respect for the position. • Participants must attend all scheduled Court appearances on time and immediately be seated in the courtroom. • Participants are encouraged to bring family members to the review sessions. • Participants may not talk in the courtroom during proceedings. • Participants may not bring food or drink into the courtroom. • Participants must remain in the courtroom until he or she is dismissed by the Judge. • Participants will only be excused from Court, or be allowed to leave prior to Court dismissal, in the case of an emergency. Participants will not be excused because of transportation problems. It is the participants responsibility to find transportation to each court appearance, counseling session, and probation appointment. Any requests for absences will be presented to the team for review. The Judge, or case manager, will advise the participant of approval or denial. • If a participant does not appear on his or her regularly scheduled court date, the Judge may is- sue a warrant. • Participants may not possess dangerous weapons, including firearms and knives. • Participants must turn off cell phones. • Participants must dress appropriately for court. Program Rules As a participant you will be required to abide by the rules outlined in the participant contract, includ- ing, but not limited to the following: • Totally abstain from the use of drugs and alcohol (This includes non-alcoholic beer, energy drinks containing alcohol, and synthetic cannabinoid, known as Spice, JWH-018, incense) • Not associate with people who use or possess drugs. • Must live in an alcohol and drug free residence. • Attend court sessions and treatment sessions as scheduled. • Submit to random alcohol and drug testing. • Keep your case manager informed of your current address and phone number at all times. • Remain an Ottawa County resident throughout your participation in the program. • Submit to a search of your person, property, place of residence, vehicle or personal effects at the request of a police or probation officer. • Inform your case manager immediately should you come in contact with law enforcement. • Abide by all other rules and regulations imposed by the STP team. P a g e 4 Participant Handbook Narcotic Medications As a program participant you are prohibited from consuming controlled sub- stances without following the proper approval procedure. You are required to inform your treating physician (s) that you are a recovering addict and that you may not take controlled substances or addictive medications or drugs unless it is medically necessary and approved by the Sobriety CourtCourt. If you are on con- trolled substances prior to program entry, you will be required to review your treatment plan with your prescribing physician within 30 days of program entry. You will be required to sign a release form with your physician so the Court can communicate with your physician. You must present any treating physician with your NOTICE TOTO ANY HEALTH CARE PROVIDER card every time you seek treatment. Failure to abide with these conditions will result in a sanction or possible termi- nation from the program. The card will be provided to you by your case manager. The card states the following: 12 Step Meeting Attendance You are required to attend 12-step meetings five times per week in the first phase of the program. The time and location is your choice. We count meetings from Sunday through Saturday. It is re- quired that you arrive to meetings on time and that you stay for the entire session. You may double up on meetings one time per week only, except for Phase III and IV. All other meetings must be done on separate days. Always remember to have your log signed by the chair person only. Signa- tures must be obtained on the day of the meeting. Falsification of logs will result in severe sanc- tions. Please be careful not to lose your logs. Without your logs there is no way to confirm compliance. If you loose your log you must make up the meetings immediately. P a g e 5 Incentives Upon the recommendation of the STP Team, participants may be given rewards or incentives for compliant behavior. Common incentives are as follows: commencement ceremony, mugs, certifi- cate of recognition, books, praise by the Judge and other team members, permission to travel. Sanctions The following sanctions are examples of the sanctions that can be imposed by the STP Judge. The Judge is not limited to these sanctions.