AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- COURTS -- SUPERIOR COURT .

Recovery court replaces drug court

The law renames the Superior Court drug court as the adult recovery court. A recovery court magistrate now runs the court, appointed by the presiding justice with Senate consent, for a 10-year term. The program mixes court supervision with treatment to help drug-addicted adult defendants. To qualify, a person must face an alcohol- or drug-related or other non-violent charge, have no pending violent-felony charges, have no pending drug-delivery charges, and be drug-addicted. Admission is screened by the Attorney General’s office; the magistrate makes the final decision. All participants sign a recovery court contract with duties, conditions, and a treatment plan. The magistrate acts with the powers of a Superior Court justice in program cases, and may jail participants for violations or on a guilty or nolo plea. The magistrate can also hear sexual-offender registration and community-notification matters and set venue in those cases. A Superior Court justice can review a magistrate’s order on the record. The law takes effect upon passage.