Referrals

• From Probation during the probation violation process
• By counsel (i.e., the Assistant District Attorney and Defense Attorney or Public Defender)

All participants in SCCDC must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Age 18 or older;
• U.S. citizen;
• Resident of Chatham County;
• Pending felony charge or a violation of probation with at least two (2) years of probation remaining;
• Facts and charges that substantiate active substance use disorder;
• Approved by the District Attorney and the Public Defender (or their designees); and
• Willing to enter SCCDC program.

Eligibility for Veterans Court Division:

• Veteran Status; all discharges
• Substance use disorder (trauma-related and mental health disorders if co-occurring with substance use disorder)
• Offenders with pending misdemeanor or felony charge(s) under the jurisdiction of the Chatham County courts
• Offenders charged with felony and/or misdemeanor offenses and sentenced to a period of porbation and who are currently in the probation revocation process.

The following factors disqualify individuals from participating in SCCDC:

• Violent charges which do not arise from substance abuse
• Current gun charges
• No one convicted of an offense where the facts are sexual in nature will be admitted
• Second-time sales conviction
• Charges in other counties that cannot be resolved;
• Previously terminated from SCCDC due to AWOL status; and/or
• Impairment that would interfere with the individual's ability to actively participate in and successfully complete the program.
• Parole Holds
• Federal Charges
• Illegal alien status, under O.C.G.A.§42-4-

A general description of the entry process into the SCCDC program is reflected in the flow chart. While the time from arrest to entry into the SCCDC necessarily varies based on the specific facts of each participant’s case (e.g., participant is released on bond and waits to apply for SCCDC), the target average length of time from arrest to entry into the SCCDC program is 30 days. Upon a participant’s application to SCCDC, the SCCDC Team flags and attempts to resolve any barriers to entry (e.g., housing issues) that may prevent it from meeting this 30-day target (to the extent that those barriers are within the Team’s control).