Specialty Courts

VETERANS TREATMENT COURT

The mission of the McLennan County Veterans Treatment Court is to increase public safety, save tax dollars, reduce recidivism, and address military-related experiences and injuries, including alcohol, substance abuse and mental illnesses, that contributed to the commission of the criminal offense by using judicially supervised treatment so that Veterans in the criminal justice system can become whole, productive, and law-abiding members of society.

Emphasizing treatment, rather than incarceration, the McLennan County Veterans Treatment Court is a voluntary, court-monitored treatment program that addresses the mental health and/or substance abuse issues of a veteran defendant with misdemeanor or felony charges. The primary target population is offenders whose military experience/exposure to combat contributed to the commission of the offense for which they are charged.  The Veterans Treatment Court is presided over by the Hon. Judge Gary Coley.

DWI/DRUG COURT

The McLennan County DWI/Drug Court is an intervention program for adults who have been charged with a qualifying offense and seeking probation, but are unable to maintain sobriety.  It is a joint effort of the McLennan County Courts at Law, the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office, the McLennan County Community Supervision and Corrections Department, local treatment providers, Baylor University, and other valuable members of our community.  By working together, we seek to provide an intensive supervision geared toward achieving and maintaining a sober lifestyle, so that participants will become productive members of our community.

The McLennan County DWI/Drug Court was created in 2007 by Judge Mike Freeman as a way to treat and address underlying substance use problems of offenders in hopes of breaking the cycle of criminal conduct leading to incarceration. The DWI/Drug Court is presided over by the Hon. Judge Vikram Deivanayagam, and in 2019 was recognized by the Texas Center for the Judiciary as the Outstanding DWI Court Team.

MENTAL HEALTH COURT

The mission of the Mental Health Treatment Court is to integrate mental illness treatment services into the processing of cases in the judicial system in order to divert defendants with mental illness to needed services as an alternative to subjecting those defendants to the criminal justice system. This goal is accomplished by ensuring ongoing judicial interaction and oversight with participants, with input from the treatment team, and the development of partnerships with public agencies and community organizations, including local mental health authorities. The Mental Health Court is presided over by the Hon. Judge David Hodges.