The Tampa Bay Area Is Florida’s Best Hope For Problem-Solving Courts
If, after your arrest, you have the presence of mind to remain silent until you can meet with a criminal defense lawyer, your lawyer may tell you some things that come as a relief. For example, if you do not have any prior convictions, you might be eligible for a pretrial diversion program. In these programs, you enter a plea of no contest, and the judge orders you to complete a year of probation and other requirements, such as drug testing, mental health counseling, or any other conditions that the judge believes would help you stay on the right side of the law and get out of the situation that led to your arrest. If you complete the program successfully, the court will drop the charges against you. If you do not complete the requirements or violate the terms of the probation, the court will change your plea to guilty, and you will receive a sentence like you would if you had pleaded guilty from the beginning. Hillsborough County is among Florida’s best equipped counties in terms of drug courts and other problem-solving courts. To find out more about problem-solving courts in the Tampa Bay area, contact a Tampa drug crime lawyer.
Problem-Solving Courts Are Not Just for First-Time Defendants in Drug Possession
The phenomenon now known as problem-solving courts began right here in Florida. In 1989, Miami-Dade County, which was then just known as Dade County, opened a drug court which provided pretrial diversion for first-time defendants facing charges for drug possession. Since then, similar dockets have begun operating across the country, and not just for drug offenses. Collectively, these are called problem-solving courts in Florida, although some states use the term treatment courts.
Most counties in Florida have at least one problem-solving court, but some rural counties in the Florida Heartland and the eastern panhandle have none. Hillsborough has eight problem-solving courts, and the other counties of the Tampa Bay area. Hillsborough County is home to the following problem-solving courts:
- Two adult drug courts
- One early childhood court, for children younger than 13 accused of doing things that would cause older teens to get adjudicated in juvenile court
- One adult mental health court
- One juvenile drug court
- One dependency drug court
- One juvenile mental health court
- One veterans’ court
The state should automatically refer you to the relevant problem-solving court when there is evidence that the circumstances of your arrest were the result of an underlying problem such as drug addiction, homelessness, or domestic violence. The authorities are not always astute enough or compassionate enough to do this on their own initiative, though, and it helps to have a criminal defense lawyer to speak up for you.
Contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Bryant Scriven
A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges and are eligible to participate in a problem-solving court such as drug court. Contact Scriven Law in Tampa, Florida to schedule a consultation.
Source:
flcourts.gov/Resources-Services/Office-of-Problem-Solving-Courts
