Eighth Judicial District Court Specialty Court Programs

The Eighth Judicial District Court operates thirteen Specialty Court programs, targeting individuals at various intercepts with the criminal justice system. The EJDC Adult Drug Court, established in 1992, was one of the first Drug Courts in the nation. Since that time, Specialty Courts have expanded to include the Transitional Aged Youth Drug Court, Felony DUI Court, Mental Health Court, Juvenile Drug Court, Veteran’s Treatment Court, Family Treatment Court, Co-Occurring Disorders Court, Gambling Treatment Court, DAAY Court, OPEN Court, and the LIMA Program.

Treatment Court Model

Specialty Courts are based on a treatment court model providing mental health and substance abuse treatment to clients involved in the criminal justice system in an effort to reduce recidivism risk and providing support for participants to gain life skills and educational advancement. All Specialty Court programs require participants to engage in individual and group substance abuse and mental health counseling (based on individual needs), random drug/alcohol testing, probation supervision, collaborative case management and regular court status checks.

Cost Savings

Specialty Court programs result in significant cost savings to the State of Nevada and Clark County by reducing public costs associated with monitoring, detaining and prosecuting criminal activity by state and county law enforcement and prosecution agencies. The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) reports that for every $1.00 invested in Specialty Courts, taxpayers save as much as $3.36 in avoided criminal justice costs alone. When considering other costs associated with participants’ involvement in the criminal justice system, it is estimated that Specialty Courts save taxpayers $27.00 for every $1.00 invested by reducing victimization and healthcare service utilization.

NADCP findings indicate that Specialty Courts reduce crime 45% more than other sentencing options. Participants in Specialty Court programs are six times more likely to complete substance abuse treatment than those not involved in a judicial program. Without judicial oversight, 70% of substance-abusing offenders drop out of treatment.

Eligibility

While each Specialty Court program establishes independent criteria for admission, the primary eligibility factors for an individual to participant in the Specialty Courts are (1) an identified alcohol substance abuse disorder or SMI (serious mental illness) and (2) no history of violent offenses or drug trafficking.

  • Adult Drug Court: The ADC program is an 18-month court supervised comprehensive inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment program. Click here for the Handbook.
    Codi Lingenfelter 702-671-3319 lingenfelterc@clarkcountycourts.us, Denise Eaton 702-455-1881 EatonD@clarkcountycourts.us, Allison Alegria 702-671-5219 AlegriaA@clarkcountycourts.us
  • Felony DUI: The FDUI program is a three-to-five year program that offers intensive treatment and community supervision to participants who have at least three DUI charges within seven years. Click here for the Handbook.
    Stacey Loffredo 702-671-4315 LoffredoS@ClarkCountyCourts.us, Divinia Jackson 702 455-6465 JacksonDav@clarkcountycourts.us, Catherine Hill 702-671-3295 HillCa@clarkcountycourts.us
  • Mental Health Court:  Mental Health Court is intended for individuals with chronic thought and/or mood disorders who may have struggled to stay out of the criminal justice and/or hospital systems due to a lack of adequate support in the community. Click here for the Handbook.
    Dominique Carter 702-671-0734  carterd@clarkcountycourts.us
  • Juvenile Drug Court: The Juvenile Treatment Court program is a specialized treatment program for youth age 12-17 who have been diagnosed with a substance use disorder, mental health disorder, or co-occurring disorder with the goal of preventing further involvement in the juvenile and adult criminal system. Youth must have a moderate to high risk substance use disorder as defined by DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Treatment level of care in the program is determined by ASAM placement criteria via a clinical assessment. The goal of treatment is to reduce and/or eliminate substance use while also addressing co-occurring mental health needs. If appropriate, the program may include inpatient residential substance use treatment, intensive outpatient and/or outpatient treatment at a certified behavioral health agency.
    RaShanna Stewart 702-455-1877 StewartR@clarkcountycourts.us
  • Veterans Court: Veterans Court offers a court supervised outpatient treatment for veterans convicted of a felony. The program works collaboratively with the Veterans Administration to serve veterans with significant addiction and mental health issues that developed during or from their military service. Click here for the Handbook.
    Josephine Bonomo 702-671-3551 bonomoj@clarkcountycourts.us
  • Family Treatment Court – Safe Babies Program: The Safe Babies Program provides court-supported substance use and mental health treatment for parents involved in the Child Welfare system. Rooted in a transformative approach to child welfare, safe babies is dedicated to reducing adverse childhood experiences, shortening time spent in foster care, enhancing family resilience, building community connections, and empowering families through a safe, respectful, and collaborative environment. The goal of the program is to support the overall well-being of children ages 0–3 and their families. The Safe Babies Program consists of tiered treatment, including outpatient mental health and substance use treatment, intensive outpatient substance use treatment, in-home therapy services, residential treatment services, random drug testing, family team meetings and regular court appearances. The program varies in length for participants based on the needs of the family.
    RaShanna Stewart 702-455-1877 StewartR@clarkcountycourts.us
  • OPEN Program: The OPEN Court offers intensive behavioral modification programming for males and females, age 18 to 26 years of age, who have been incarcerated, with the goal of reintegrating them into their communities and connecting them with the community based resources, while working to address their court requirements. Click here for the Handbook.
    Nicole Pisarczyk 702-671-3270 pisarczykn@clarkcountycourts.us
  • Gambling Treatment Diversion Court: Gambling Treatment Diversion Court is a court supervised comprehensive outpatient treatment program for defendants with gambling problems and other addictive behaviors. Per NRS 458A defendants are eligible if they have been convicted of a crime that was committed in furtherance or as a result of problem gambling. Click here for the Handbook.
    Josephine Bonomo 702-671-3551 bonomoj@clarkcountycourts.us
  • Transitional Age Drug Court Program (TAP): The TAP program is a minimum eighteen-month program that offers supervised comprehensive inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment program geared to meet the needs of participants 18-26 years of age. Click here for the Handbook.
    Nicole Pisarczyk 702-671-3270 pisarczykn@clarkcountycourts.us
  • LIMA Diversion Program: (Law Enforcement Intervention for Mental Health and Addiction) is a pre-booking diversion program developed to address low-level drug crimes and is a minimum of a 9 months. The LIMA Program allows law enforcement officers to redirect low-level drug offenders to engage in community based services. By diverting eligible individuals to services, LVMPD is committed to improving public safety and public order and reducing criminal behavior of people who participate in the program. LVMPD Diversion helps move individuals away from the justice system without entering it.” Participants must have a chemical dependency issue and be willing to engage in treatment services throughout their participation in the LIMA Program. All social referrals must complete a screening and background check before admission.
    Angel Lash 702-671-3866 lasha@clarkcountycourts.us
  • MAT Re-Entry Court: The MAT Re-Entry program is a court-supervised treatment program for individuals on early-release from prison or those on parole who have an opioid and/or stimulant use disorder. Click here for the Handbook.
    Samantha Gowette 702-671-0743 gowettes@clarkcountycourts.us
  • Co-Occuring Disorders Court: Co-Occurring Disorders Court is a program that offers treatment specific to individuals with a history and diagnosis of both mental health and substance use disorders who require additional support to manage the effects of co-mingled diagnoses. Click here for the Handbook.
    Maria Job 702-671-3949 JobM@clarkcountycourts.us
  • DAAY Court: Detention Alternative for Autistic Youth (DAAY) is a court-supervised program for youth involved in the juvenile justice system with a primary diagnosis of Autism.
    Khristie Cury 702-455-5302 curyk@clarkcountycourts.us
  • CERT Program (Creating Engagement thru Resources and Treatment): CERT Court targets youth ages 14-17 who have mental health and/or substance abuse disorders and have been certified as adults pursuant to the Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 62B.390. The purpose of this program is to provide professional substance misuse and mental health services to these youth as a positive alternative to incarceration. The goal is to afford these youth the opportunity to break their cycle of mental health, substance use and criminality recidivism through rehabilitation.
    Nicole Pisarczyk (702)-671-3270 Pisarczykn@clarkcountycourts.us

Application Process

To learn more about each Specialty Court program, contact the Specialty Court Administrator Lindsey Lee at 702-671-5220 or LeeLi@clarkcountycourts.us. To apply for a Specialty Court program, please complete the Specialty Court Application available above and follow the submission instructions on the first page.