Court Services

Hours of Operation: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Director: Maura Gordon, MPA, LCSW

Purpose of the Programs

These programs exist to help defendants with chemical dependency problems to reduce or eliminate certain criminal charges in exchange for participating in treatment and remaining drug and alcohol free.

Services Provided

Clinical staff from court services work together with the judges, District Attorney's Office, and defense attorneys to engage defendants in treatment. This collaborative effort is designed to focus on chemical dependency issues that may have contributed to the offenses and to prevent recidivism into the criminal justice system.

Completion of treatment may, at the discretion of the district attorney and/or judge, result in a lesser sentence / plea. In some cases, participants may avoid incarceration. In the court services programs, participants receive clinical assessments, treatment placements, case management, and crisis interventions. Progress reports are sent to the court on how the participants are progressing in treatment.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for court services, the following conditions must be met:

• Community Court: Participants must have an identifiable problem, such as substance abuse, mental health issues, educational / vocational deficits, inappropriate anger management, poor decision making, or poor coping skills, which contributed to their unlawful conduct. Charges must be misdemeanors and violations with no pending felony charges.
• Drug Treatment Court: Participants must be at least 21 years of age, facing a sentence of 90 days in jail, or have two prior criminal convictions. Alcohol or substance abuse must have contributed to the pending charge. Charges must be misdemeanors and violations with no pending felony charges. The participant must acknowledge having a problem with chemical dependency and be willing to engage in treatment for one year.
• Family Treatment Court: Participants are eligible if they have an open child protective services case and are in need of treatment for chemical dependency, social services, housing, education, or employment. The participant must acknowledge having a problem with chemical dependency.
• STEP Program: Following driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence (DUI) charges, participants can be referred by the court, Probation Department, or their attorneys for clinical assessment to determine chemical dependency treatment needs. Participants may also be referred for other charges that indicate a possible chemical dependency problem.

Participation in the drug treatment court, community court, and family treatment court programs is voluntary. The court may mandate participation in the STEP Program due to current DWI laws.

Cost of Services

Due to the collaboration among the Office of Court Administration; Nassau County Department of Mental Health, Chemical Dependency, and Developmental Disabilities Services; Nassau County Department of Social Services; Nassau County District Attorney's Office; and Nassau County Legal Aid, all court services are provided free of charge. Participants are referred to community-based agencies for treatment. Most community-based agencies have sliding scale fees for their services and will accept private insurance or Medicaid.