XIII, Sec. 16 Administrative discharge

Sometimes a person in drug court cannot finish the program, even though it is not their fault. This might happen because of health problems, moving away, or other circumstances outside their control. In these situations, the person can be given an "administrative discharge" instead of being punished for failing to complete the program.

Here is how it works: the drug court team decides if this type of discharge makes sense. If they agree it does, the Specialty Courts staff fills out a form called a Notice of Administrative Discharge and gives it to the drug court judge. This form gets placed in the official court record, and the case then goes back to a regular circuit or district court judge, or moves to a different court location if needed.

Getting an administrative discharge does not shut the door on drug court forever. If the person's situation changes, they can still apply for drug court again in the future.