USAO-EDNC Celebrates National Drug Court Month

RALEIGH – In celebration of National Drug Court Month, the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina (EDNC) spotlights the two Federal Drug Courts that operate in the EDNC. The H.O.P.E. Program, (Helping Offenders Pursue Excellence), began 2009 and is held in Raleigh, North Carolina. The S.T.A.R. Program, (Striving to Achieve Recovery), began in 2016 and is held in Greenville, North Carolina.

Both courts involve a collaborative effort between the EDNC’s U.S. District Court, U.S. Probation Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Public Defender’s Office, and other agencies that provide rehabilitative services to former federal inmates with substance abuse issues, such as First Step Services and East Coast Counseling. These courts provide participants with a system of support through a range of incentives and sanctions aimed at promoting and targeting long-term, sustainable, positive change. A major goal of these drug reentry courts is to enable participants to manage and overcome their substance abuse issues using the tools provided to them during their participation in the court. These tools will help them to be successful on supervision and afterward.

National Drug Court Month is coordinated by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP). Today, nearly 3,200 treatment courts are in operation in all 50 states, plus US territories, successfully treating close to 150,000 substance-addicted individuals each year.

Individuals on federal pretrial or supervised release interested in either of these programs should contact their supervising probation officer. For more information about the H.O.P.E. Program or the S.T.A.R. Program, contact Senior U.S. Probation Officer Julie Rosa at (919)861-8660.