District of Idaho

Mission Statement

In  a cooperative effort, the United States District Court, the United States Probation and Pretrial Services Office, the United States Attorney's Office, and the Federal Community Defenders Organization are committed to providing an alternate program for individuals on federal supervision who have substance abuse and/or addiction problems. This program will offer a blend of treatment and sanction alternatives to effectively address offender behavior, rehabilitation, and the safety of our community.

Goals of the Program

The primary goal of the District of Idaho's Success Through Assisted Recovery and Treatment (START) Program is to develop an effective supervision model which will allow those who graduate from the program to remain drug and crime free in the community. The program will offer a meaningful, timely, and effective coordination of supervision and treatment services, which will provide improved accountability and more immediate responses to non-compliance.

Target Population

The target population will be offenders on federal supervision or inmates who are in the process of being released who have identified substance abuse and/or addiction problems. Offenders on supervision for convictions of crimes of violence as defined in 18 USC § 3156(a)(4) are not eligible to participate in this program.

Program participants must be committed to long-term sobriety and agree to enter the program voluntarily. All participants will be screened by United States Probation and approved by the START Team.  Participants will sign a Participant Agreement and Waiver which informs them of the program requirements and the waiver of rights under 18 USC § 3583(e) and Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure 32.1.

START Team Members

The START Team will be comprised of at least one United States District Judge or Magistrate Judge, a United States Probation Officer, an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA), and a Community Defender (CDA). A treatment provider under contract with the Probation Office will also participate in team staffing sessions.

The Judge will be an active participant in Team meetings and in START sessions.

The Probation Officer will oversee the program and provide other team members with progress reports on the participants.

The AUSA will protect the public's safety by ensuring that each candidate is appropriate for the program and complies with all START Program requirements.

The CDA will provide a defense perspective while encouraging full participation in the program. The CDA's role will not create an attorney-client relationship with participants. If the need arises to appoint counsel for a participant, either during the START Program, or afterwards, conflict-free counsel will be appointed by the Court.

Treatment providers will keep the the START Team apprised of the participants' successes and progress in treatment.