Treatment courts are considered the most successful justice intervention for people with substance use and mental health disorders. For three decades, treatment courts have proven that a combination of treatment and compassion can lead people with substance use and/or mental health disorders into lives of stability, health, and recovery. This is a public health approach to justice reform in which treatment providers ensure individuals before the courts receive personalized, evidence-based treatment, and they work as a team with law enforcement, community supervision, defense, prosecution, and the judge to provide ongoing support and recovery services.
We currently have three treatment court programs in the Eighth Judicial District: Taos County Recovery Court, Raton Adult Drug Court, and Taos County Family Violence Court.
The Taos County Recovery Court (TCRC) and Raton Adult Drug Court (RADC) programs are a drug and alcohol treatment strategy administered and supervised by the Eighth Judicial District Court in partnership with professionals from the criminal justice communities and mental health and drug/alcohol treatment communities. This treatment is consistent with best national practices as recommended by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and adopted for Treatment Courts in New Mexico.
The mission of the programs is to provide an alternative to traditional sanctions through comprehensive mental health and substance abuse treatment in conjunction with intensive court and community-based supervision to individuals who have committed non-violent criminal offenses as a direct or indirect result of substance abuse. Recovery and Drug Court offer highly structured long-term treatment that ensures public safety by mitigating immediate risk factors. The primary goals are to reduce recidivism by addressing the long-term needs of the participants and to support participants in becoming sober, productive and contributing members of the community.
Taos County Recovery Court and Raton Adult Drug Court provide services for high-risk/high-need felony offenders who have an underlying drug or alcohol substance abuse addiction. Our services are available pre-sentence as a condition of release, or post-sentence as a part of the offender’s sentence.
Presiding Judge
Jeffrey Shannon
Program Manager
Hannah Smith
575-751-8620
taodhls@nmcourts.gov
Program Specialist
Sivreana Gurule
575-758-3173 ext. 642
taodsct@nmcourts.gov
Field Support Officer
Marcos Martinez
575-758-3173 ext. 645
taodmam@nmcourts.gov
Court held every Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Taos County Courthouse, Taos, NM.
Presiding Judge
Steven Romero
Program Coordinator
Lexi Ortega
Phone: 575-445-7565
ratdleo@nmcourts.gov
Court is held every Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Colfax County Courthouse/Leon Karelitz Judicial Center, Raton, NM.
Taos County Family Violence (FV) “problem-solving” court targets FV offenders in our community. Family Violence is a pattern of behavior in a familial relationship that can include physical, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions to maintain power and control over another person. Our court aims to reduce recidivism in FV defendants, improve case adjudication times, offer greater protection and resources for alleged FV victims, and provide therapeutic intervention as an alternative to prosecution/incarceration for FV defendants. Family Violence Court utilizes multi-professional treatment and supervision overseen by the court with an emphasis on procedural justice and accountability.
Our court serves high-risk/high-need individuals with family violence-related charges, both pre- and post-adjudication. We recognize that for family violence, incarceration fails to address the root causes. It is to this end that our court incorporates intensive treatment intervention which includes a range of behavioral health interventions.
Presiding Judge
Sara Blankenhorn
Program Manager
Hannah Smith
575-751-8620
taodhls@nmcourts.gov
Program Specialist
Sivreana Gurule
575-758-3173 ext. 642
taodsct@nmcourts.gov
Surveillance Officer
Victoria Valle
575-758-3173 ext. 637
taodvlv@nmcourts.gov
Court held bi-monthly on Wednesdays at noon at the Taos County Courthouse Taos, NM.
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