Drug Court

Breaking the Cycle

Blue Earth County implemented Drug Court with the mission of reducing crime through the rehabilitation and recovery of drug and alcohol offenders. Drug Court coordinates the efforts of the judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, law enforcement, social services, probation, and treatment specialists to quickly identify and intervene with selected non-violent substance-abusing offenders (both drugs and alcohol) in order to break the cycle of substance abuse, addiction, and crime.

Participating in the Program

The judge is the central figure in a team effort to keep participants engaged in treatment, to reward progress for meeting goals, and to sanction noncompliant behavior.

Drug court participants receive intensive monitoring from the court, are placed under strict community supervision, undergo frequent drug testing and engage in long-term substance abuse treatment. In addition, drug courts assist participants in enhancing life-skills which may include things such as:

• Job training
• Education
• Family counseling

Drug Courts encourage participants to take control of their own recovery, but they also have clear and definite rules which if broken are swiftly dealt with by the judge.

Participant Testimonial

“At the point of induction I was sure that I had been railroaded by my probation officer…I’ve slowly realized that nothing was further from the truth. For this I would like to thank Judge Johnson and the Drug Court Team. Never had I felt like so many people were actually on my side. I knew that I had better buckle down and take this chance seriously or face my consequences.” – Drug Court Participant

For More Information

If you have any questions, please download the Blue Earth County Drug Court brochure and contact Sarah Nelsen or Amber Tisue.