DRUG CASES

Kentucky has a sad history in the prosecution of drug cases. Kentucky leads the nation in the incarceration of its citizen. The legislature has shown little enlightenment in creating and implementing a sound drug policy. The most common practice is to ignore treatment and incarcerate drug addicts and those who are psychologically and physically dependent on drugs and alcohol. As a poor state, Kentucky has enacted laws that are the costliest and least effective drug laws in the world. Both the legislature and prosecutors continue to posture and pontificate about the dangers of drugs. Instead of mandating and offering treatment for addiction and dependency, or expanding the scope and mission of successful drug courts programs; budget shortfalls have eliminated or significantly reduced the alternative drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs available to the court system. The result is a system that spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year incarcerating addicts, instead of spending a few dollars a day on treatment. The societal cost cannot be overstated. The addicts, lose their employment, fail to pay taxes, child support, medical care etc, and the state warehouses addicts with hardened and violent offenders. The addicts eventually return to the streets without addressing their addiction and with little chance of maintaining employment or sobriety. It is not just a vicious cycle it is a downward spiral and Kentucky leads the nation! The long term cost to our state is staggering. Even if the drug offender successfully battles their addiction issues, many former offenders soon discover that employers refuse to hire anyone with drug or alcohol offenses on their criminal record.

It is important to hire an attorney that not only understands the laws and the defenses available but also believes in working with the client and the client's family to address the underlying addiction and dependency issues. In law, as in life, those clients that seek and successfully address their drug or alcohol dependency issues fair better in the criminal justice center then those who don't.

Alcohol Education/Treatment Programs

Approve Programs

Attached is a list of approved Alcohol Education programs in Jefferson County. These programs are recognized by the courts and the Jefferson County Court Monitoring Center. While all programs will charge a fee for attendance, some programs will provide a sliding scale based on the clients ability to pay. Remember, if you fail to follow the requirement of the Court Monitoring Center and the orders of the Court, you will not be able to secure a new license and you will be subject to the contempt powers of the court. The attached list of alcohol education and treatment providers are recognized by Kentucky courts and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet as satisfying the alcohol education/treatment program minimum requirements mandated by the Kentucky DUI statute:

List of Inpatient Alcohol Programs

intensive programs

Sometimes clients and their families need recommendations for an inpatient treatment program. I recommend Hazelden (http://www.hazelden.org/) and the Betty Ford Clinic (http://www.bettyfordcenter.org/) as two of the longtime leaders in drug and alcohol abuse residential counseling. The websites for these nationally recognized programs provide significant information regarding treatment options and information. In addition, Alcoholic Anonymous has an impressive website with lots of information. http://www.aa.org The local AA contact information can be secured by contacting:

Greater Louisville Intergroup Inc (Louisville, KY)
332 W Broadway
Room 620
Louisville, KY 40202
United States
Phone:(502)582-1849
Site: www.louisvilleaa.org
Email: alcoholicsano178@bellsouth.net

If a friend or family member needs help with his or her alcoholism, I urge you to visit Al-Anon of Kentucky and Southern Indiana: http://www.kyal-anon.org/

If the problem is narcotics addiction, I recommend Louisville Area Narcotics Anonymous http://www.nalouisville.org/ or (502) 499-4423.

Hospitals - Inpatient Alcohol Drug Detox Rehab Treatment Centers in Kentucky

Drug Addiction Alcohol Abuse Rehab Treatment Programs

Hospital based programs generally offer some form of detox from alcohol or drugs. Hospital drug and alcohol programs generally do not offer residential, 30 day type programs. They usually have some form of intensive outpatient program, referred to as IOP’s. Hospital based alcohol and drug addiction programs usually accept most forms of insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid. While the hospital programs are not recognized as DUI Alcohol Education/Treatment Programs, Judges routinely accept these program in lieu of programs required under KRS 189A. 

Residential Inpatient Alcohol Drug Detox Rehab Treatment Centers in Kentucky

Drug Addiction Alcohol Abuse Rehab Treatment Programs

If someone uses and abuses alcohol and or drugs every day, it is generally considered appropriate to go into a program on a full-time basis. These types of programs are designed to have a person lives full time and participate in drug alcohol treatment all day, every day. All of them require some form of payment, either insurance and or self pay. While the hospital programs are not recognized as DUI Alcohol Education/Treatment Programs, Judges routinely accept these program in lieu of programs required under KRS 189A.  

Client Interview Form - Print out for review and completion