If you are charged with a non-violent crime, and drugs or alcohol are a factor in your life, you may be offered the chance to enroll in drug court as an alternative to going to jail. There are more than 2,600 drug court programs nationwide. Each state and county sets its own rules about what will be expected from drug court participants, but they all include being overseen by the court system while taking part in substance abuse rehab activities. If you agree to and are accepted into drug court, you get to live at home, continue working and be with your family as long as you obey the drug court's rules. The program takes a minimum of one year to complete regardless of how long or short your jail sentence would have otherwise been.

Once accepted to the program, you will meet with the drug court judge, along with other drug court participants, on a regular basis. Depending on your drug court's particular rules, you could be required to appear as often several times a week or as infrequently as once a month. During the meetings, you will take part in activities such as listening to guest speakers, watching educational videos  and having group discussions. In addition, the judge may order you to attend 12-step meetings, enroll in outpatient rehab or seek mental health help.

 Frequent drug tests are a normal part of drug court. You will be expected to remain drug and alcohol free while going through the program. Most drug courts also forbid you to take any prescribed narcotics, though some courts will look at each case to decide. Examples of such narcotics include prescribed pain pills, such as Lortabs or Hydrocodone and prescribed anxiety medications such as Xanax or Valium. 

Drug courts use a reward and sanction system. If you obey the rules, attend the meetings and pass your drug tests, you will be rewarded by moving through the program's levels until you graduate. If you miss drug court meetings, fail a drug test or break other rules, the judge may sanction you. Sanction examples include a weekend in jail, 15 days in jail or making you start the program over from the beginning. In most cases, sanctions become progressively worse for continued rule violations. Too many sanctions, or picking up new charges could cause the judge to remove you from the program and send you to jail to finish your sentence.

Once you finish the program, you might be invited to take part in a graduation ceremony where you can invite family friends to celebrate your success with you.