Substance abuse and handling criminal offenses

If you are someone who struggles with a substance use disorder, you should know that there are options available to help you. If you’re now facing charges, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to look into alternative sentencing and consider if substance abuse treatment would be right for you.

When you break the law, even if unintentionally, you could face serious penalties. Texas has the Substance Use Treatment Program, which is part of its Rehabilitation Programs Division and focuses on helping people in your kind of situation. Anyone who is a qualified individual may be able to get substance use treatment in or outside of prison.

For example, if you are imprisoned for a crime, you may be able to receive in-prison treatment before being moved to a transitional treatment center and outpatient treatment. There are also programs for people with mental health disorders and other medical needs.

There are many different substance abuse treatment programs that people may benefit from. These include:

• The Pre-Release Therapeutic Community
• The Intermediate Sanction Facility program
• A six-month prison-based Driving While Intoxicated Recovery Program
• An In-Prison Substance Use Treatment Program
• The Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility
• The Pre-Release Substance Abuse Program
• A State Jail Substance Use Program

These are not all of the programs available. There are also some that help people who are not imprisoned and others that may help you avoid a conviction on your record.

Think about your options before forming a defense

It’s valuable to talk to your attorney and to think about the different options that may be open to you before you start working on your defense for court. Your attorney may have an opportunity to negotiate with the prosecution to help you get into a substance abuse treatment program, for example, or find other ways to help you improve your life inside or outside of prison in the future.

Living with a substance use disorder is difficult, but the right approach can make a difference now and in the future. You deserve support as you work through this case and your own personal health issues.