If you’ve been arrested on a drug offense in Texas, you may be facing charges that range from a simple misdemeanor to multiple felonies with significant penalties. Whatever the conditions surround your arrest, speak with a criminal defense attorney in Austin to discuss your options for a fair resolution. One option you may be able to negotiate with a judge, depending on your criminal history and current charges, is a drug offender education program, offered throughout Texas. Learn more about drug offender education programs below, and consider if this may be an option in your case.
What Is a Drug Offender Education Program?
A Texas Drug Offender Education Program is a court-ordered program for drug offenders that teach about the dangers of drug addiction and usage, understanding personal abuse patterns, and more. In addition to identifying patterns of use and abuse, the legality of drugs, and understanding health issues and other life-altering impacts of drugs, students are assisted in developing action plans that they can use to avoid future relapses or further drug offenses. These courses are often 3-hour sessions, with five required meetings. If the education program is court ordered, attendance is mandatory and your charges or punishments may depend on successful completion.
How To Find a Drug Offender Education Program
If you have been ordered by a judge to attend a Texas Drug Offender Education Program, you can find a complete list of available courses through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation website. Make note of which course you are searching for, as the Texas courts additionally require courses for DWIs (Driving While Intoxicated), and alcohol education courses for minors after arrests.
Do I Need To Attend a Drug Offender Education Program?
If you have been ordered by the court to take a course, your attendance is mandatory. Look at your findings to determine the possible repercussions if you do not attend. In certain cases, you may be required to attend a course in order to avoid jail time or additional fines, and if you do not keep your half of the deal, you may be again required to suffer the initial punishment. With the representation of a professional who works with criminal defense law in Austin, you may be able to reach a deal with the court to attend these classes and learn more about your drug use and abuse, develop a plan for recovery, and avoid more substantial punitive damages in the legal system. These courses can be an enormous help for getting your life back in order, coming to terms with an addiction or patterns of abuse, history of self-destructive behaviors, and other conditions that may be keeping you from getting control of your life. You will learn about how to identify destructive behaviors, triggers, and de-escalation tactics that may help you avoid your next slip, and keep your life moving forward.
If you are facing drug offenses in the Texas courts and would like help getting clean and staying clean after these charges, you may consider requesting that the judge requires you to attend one of these courses. They are great resources that can help you get your life back on track, and in addition, may be used as a way to show that you want help.
