Family Drug Court

​What Is Family Drug Court?

The Family Drug Court is a special court program designed to help you and your children get back together or stay together. To reach that goal, this program will help you recover from substance abuse by referring you to a substance abuse treatment program and monitoring your progress there.

This program will also help to make sure that while you are in treatment; you stay in contact with your children and plan for their future. You will also submit to frequent drug testing, appear at regular and frequent court status hearings, and comply with other court conditions geared to accountability, rehabilitation, long-term sobriety, and cessation of criminal activity.

We hope that by working together, we can help you break the cycle of addiction and build a better life for yourself and your children. To reunify your family, this program requires that you complete substance abuse treatment as well as other requirements set forth by the Court.

In order to graduate from Drug Court, you are going to have to meet quite a challenge.  It is not an impossible task, however, as thousands of individuals, with similar problems, are succeeding nationwide, once committed to sobriety.

Who is eligible?

In order to enter Drug Court:

• at least one (1) parent has substance abuse issues;
• the primary goal for the family must be reunification;
• the parent(s) must admit to the abuse/neglect allegation(s);
• case jurisdiction must be in Palm Beach County; and
• the child must be removed for the parent to participate. 

Some disqualifiers include parents who:

• are alleged to be sexual perpetrators;
• are incompetent;
• suffer from an un-stabilized mental disorder
• are on a pain management protocol;
• have an advanced terminal illness;
• have a long history of violent offenses

What to expect…

As you work through treatment at a community-based treatment program, you will also progress through Levels of participation here at the Court. Each Level has specific requirements for advancement.

How quickly you move through the levels depends on how well you are doing on your case plan and in treatment.  If you are not making progress staying clean and completing your case plan, the Judge can also discharge you from the program. 

Desired Outcomes

• Decrease time to access treatment
• Increased time remaining in and completing treatment
• Increased desired behavior changes
• Decreased new drug related offenses
• Increased reunifications
• Increased services provided to children 

Program Description

The 15th Circuit Palm Beach County Family Drug Court Program is a new voluntary court program designed to help substance abusing parents work towards a goal of reunification.  To reach that goal, the Family Drug Court Program helps parents recover from substance abuse by referring them to a substance abuse treatment program and monitoring their progress.  The program also helps make sure that parents stay in contact with their children and plan for their future.  Parents submit to frequent drug testing, appear at regularly-scheduled court status hearings, and comply with other court conditions geared to accountability, rehabilitation, long-term sobriety, and cessation of criminal activity.  To reunify families, this program requires that parents complete substance abuse treatment as well as other requirements set forth by the Court.

In order to enter Family Drug Court:  (1) participants must be Palm Beach County residents who are the parent(s) of children with new dependency petitions where substance abuse is identified as an issue for parent(s); (2) the case jurisdiction is in Palm Beach County; (3) the primary goal for the family must be reunification; (4) the parent(s) must admit to the abuse/neglect allegation(s).
Disqualifiers include: Parents who are alleged to be sexual perpetrators, who are incompetent, suffer from an un-stabilized mental disorder, are on a pain management protocol (including methadone maintenance), have an advanced terminal illness, or have a long history of violent offenses, prior TPR’s, or a pending felony.

Services Provided

The following are examples of services provided by the Family Drug Court:

• Case management and Family Intervention Services to assess needs and assistance through the Court process
• Linkage to an appropriate treatment program, parenting skills program and other services that may be needed
• Linkage to health care, educational and vocational training and other services
• Ongoing support and assistance in staying connected to your children while they are placed out of the home
• Possible increased visitation as sobriety and stability are demonstrated
• Ongoing substance abuse support

Program Location

The Family Drug Court is located at the Main Courthouse, 205 North Dixie Highway, Room 3.1112, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401.
Contact: Lisa Bozzone, Family Drug Court Coordinator 561-355-6319 or email: lbozzone@pbcgov.org

Cost of Service

None

Program Office Hours

Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm