Juvenile Drug Court Is Far From the Worst-Case Scenario

Many teenagers consume alcohol and cannabis out of curiosity, but when minors get in trouble with the law because of drugs, it is usually a sign of a deeper problem. You often see news stories about people in their early 20s, or even younger, getting arrested on charges of drug trafficking or for repeat offenses involving the sale of drugs. It only makes sense that, if someone had intervened earlier and tried to help them, they would not have ended up facing felony charges almost as soon as they became eligible to vote or getting charged as adults when they were still minors. Florida has established a system of juvenile drug courts which aim to provide young people accused of drug offenses with substance abuse treatment and other resources, rather than meting out punishments. If your minor child is being accused of drug possession or other drug-related offenses, juvenile drug court is your best hope for avoiding a series of draconian punishments. To maximize your chances of entering a juvenile drug court program and completing it successfully, contact a Florida drug offenses attorney.

Introducing Florida’s Problem-Solving Courts

In 1989, Florida started its first drug court program in 1989. The program has since expanded to include a wide variety of similar programs, collectively known as problem-solving courts. These courts aim to help people whose interactions with the criminal justice system are due to problems unrelated to criminal intent, such as drug addiction, mental illness, or homelessness.

Participants in problem-solving courts enter a plea of no contest and begin fulfilling the program’s requirements, which typically include frequent meetings with a probation officer and situation-specific counseling or treatment, such as drug rehabilitation or mental health counseling. If the participant successfully completes the program, the court drops the charges, and the participant emerges without a criminal record. It is easiest to get accepted to drug courts and other problem-solving courts if you do not have any prior criminal convictions. Therefore, participation in juvenile drug court now can spare you many future interactions with the criminal justice system.

Florida now has problem-solving courts throughout the state, including the following:

• Drug courts, 49 for adults and 14 for juveniles
• Four DUI courts
• Mental health courts, 33 for adults and one for juveniles
• 33 early childhood courts, for preteen children who engage in behaviors that, if they were teenagers, would get them sent to juvenile court
• 33 veterans’ courts
• 13 dependency drug courts

As of June 2025, there are adult drug courts operating in Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Brevard, and Osceola Counties. Orange County has a dependency drug court, and Seminole and Brevard Counties have juvenile drug courts.

Contact FL Drug Defense Group About Drug Cases

A Central Florida criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are the parent of a teenager who is facing allegations of drug offenses and has a chance to participate in one of Central Florida’s juvenile drug court programs.  Contact FL Drug Defense Group in Orlando, Florida to discuss your case.

Source:

flcourts.gov/Resources-Services/Office-of-Problem-Solving-Courts