Treatment Court

The Shoshone County Treatment Court Program is a specialized Treatment Court is a pre-sentence Court which provides an alternative to traditional prosecution. It handles crimes committed by medium to high-risk substance dependent offenders.

The team is led by the Treatment Court Judge and consists of a prosecutor, defense counsel, treatment provider (s), coordinator, probation officer, Health and Welfare, community member, and or law enforcement.

Participants are required to attend intensive outpatient treatment and appear before the same Treatment Court Judge twice a month. Participants will be on intensive probation supervision and submit random observed drug tests at a minimum of twice per week.

Shoshone County Treatment Court has two tracks for participants, Felony Drug Court and DUI Court.  The Drug Court program is approximately 15 – 18 months long and includes 4 phases and a 3-month Aftercare component.  The DUI Court program is approximately 12 months long and it also includes 4 phases.  The length of time is based on individualized needs, treatment goals and phase competencies. Treatment Court may extend or modify treatment to allow for additional time to successfully complete program requirements.

In 2009, Shoshone County judicial leaders along with criminal justice and drug treatment officials implemented the County’s first Treatment Court Program in the Magistrate Court.

Treatment Courts represent a very nontraditional approach to criminal offenders who are substance dependent. Rather than focusing only on the crimes committed and the punishments they receive, Treatment Court attempts to solve some of their underlying problems that may have contributed to the poor choices that lead to criminal behavior.  If you decide to enter this program or are entering as a condition of probation, this opportunity will provide the support and supervision critical to helping you achieve your goals. Instead of jail or prison, you will enter a supervised, structured, treatment-based program designed to hold you accountable, and help you achieve sobriety.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Shoshone County Treatment Court is a program designed to reduce criminal activity through intensive outpatient substance abuse counseling, random but frequent urinalysis testing, cognitive restructuring programs, strict judicial oversight, and a carefully crafted set of incentives to encourage participants to become and remain clean, sober, and law-abiding as well as a gamut of sanctions for the failure to do so.  The program is intended to benefit not only the community through a reduction of criminal activity and its attendant’s cos, both human financial, but also the individual participant and their families though a restoration of responsibility, productivity, self-sufficiency, and self-respect.

Eligibility Criteria and Program Rules are in the Handbook 

Accessing the Drug Court Program

Referral into the Drug Court program is made by a defense attorney, the prosecutor or the the Judge.  To get more information or to start the application process you can email msmith@co.shoshone.id.us or call (208)556-7861. This is the first step in the application process.

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS STRUGGLING OR IN CRISIS, HELP IS AVAILABLE 24/7- CALL OR TEXT 988