Kendall County Drug Court

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Mission Statement

The mission of the Kendall County Drug Court is to reduce recidivism for substance using offenders by combining effective treatment and intensive judicial supervision in a therapeutic court setting which uses accountability, support, and individualized treatment plans to encourage individuals to change their lives.

Overview

Established in February 2017, Kendall County Drug Court was created to provide intensive supervision to individuals charged with a felony as a direct result of a substance use disorder. Drug Courts improve communities by successfully helping participants become sober and stopping drug-related crime by attempting to address the individual’s substance use disorder. Drug Courts provide a non-traditional approach for criminal offenders who struggle with substance use disorder, rather than focusing only on the crimes they commit and the punishments they receive. Drug Courts use a combination of accountability and treatment to encourage participants to change their lives. Drug Courts are dependent upon creating a non-adversarial courtroom atmosphere where the Judge and Drug Court Staff work together with the participant toward a common goal of breaking the cycle of substance use and criminal behavior.

Those eligible for the program must have a substance use disorder and agree to stop using drugs and alcohol. All participants must be at least 18 years of age, a Kendall County resident or as otherwise agreed by the Court, a United States citizen, and have a pending felony or probation violation. All participants must receive approval from the Court prior to admission.

Participants in the Drug Court program are required to engage in substance abuse counseling, attend frequent status review hearings, meet with Drug Court team members regularly, submit to frequent and random breath and urine screenings, have home visits by Drug Court team members, attend self-help support groups, obtain employment and/or attend school, and pay court fines, restitution and treatment expenses. The Court awards incentives for compliant behavior and imposes sanctions for negative behavior.

There are five phases of the Kendall County Drug Court Program with each consisting of different expectations to be followed by the participant. If an individual meets the requirements of each of the five phases and the criteria for graduation, they are celebrated at a graduation ceremony with members of the community.

The Drug Court team consists of the following members:

Judge: Honorable John McAdams
Problem Solving Court Coordinator: Vanessa Melendez
State’s Attorney: Eric Weis & Frank Gorup
Public Defender: Jason Majer
Director or Court Services/Probation Officer: Alice Elliot & Armando Rodriguez
Representative of the Sheriff’s Office: Deputy Andrew Nemenoff
Treatment Representative from Family Counseling Service: Danielle Anderson

If you, or someone you know, is interested in participating in this program please complete the linked form and return to Court Administration or email to vmelendez@kendallcountyil.gov.

Referral Form

Interested in Learning More?

If you or your organization are interested in learning more about the work that Kendall County Drug Court does, please contact Melissa Moore to schedule a speaking engagement. These trainings can be tailored to your group’s needs and are perfect for community organizations wishing to learn more about the program, law enforcement agencies wishing to educate their staff about this program, or student groups.

If you are interested in observing a Drug Court hearing, court takes place weekly on Wednesdays at 2:00pm in Courtroom 111 at Kendall County Courthouse. Call Melissa to confirm that court is in session on the week you wish to observe.

Contact

Vanessa Melendez
Problem Solving Court Coordinator

Hours: 8:00am – 4:30pm; Monday – Friday
Address: 807 W. John Street, Yorkville, IL 60560
Phone: 630–553-4926

Email: vmelendez@kendallcountyil.gov.

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