Can I get a plea in abeyance in Salt Lake without doing drug court?

**NOTE: Some information in this page is now outdated. As of 2013, Salt Lake County has discontinued the ARC program. In its place, a new program called "Alternative Substance Abuse Program" (ASAP) has been initiated in the Salt Lake District Courts. For more current information on the best way to handle your Salt Lake County drug possession charge, contact Utah criminal defense attorney Stephen Howard.

Criminal charges for possession of most common street drugs in Utah are filed on the felony level. If you are charged with drug possession in Salt Lake County, a plea in abeyance is a negotiated offer that can result in a complete dismissal of your charges. In some cases, in order to get a plea in abeyance on a drug charge in Salt Lake County, you may be required to complete a drug court program. However, if your prior criminal record is minimal, you may be eligible for Salt Lake County's Alternative Resolution Court (ARC) program.

The ARC program is less intense than the drug court program. But it still requires participation in drug treatment as well as frequent drug testing (UA's) to ensure that participants are staying clean and sober. Frequent appearances before the court can be required, and sanctions can be imposed by the court if a participant is not in full compliance with the program conditions.

Drug court or the ARC program are two of the most common avenues for obtaining a plea in abeyance in a Salt Lake drug case. It may be possible in some circumstances to obtain a plea in abeyance without drug court or ARC. But often times, a prosecutor will require participation in one of these programs in exchange for State's agreement to hold the plea in abeyance.

Finding an Experienced Utah Criminal Defense Attorney

Stephen Howard is an experienced Utah criminal defense attorney. Based in Salt Lake City, he is one of only a few criminal defense attorneys in private practice in Utah with extensive experience working inside the Utah drug court system. He has negotiated plea in abeyance agreements in drug court and the ARC program for clients facing charges as serious as first-degree felony drug distribution charges. As a result of his efforts, clients who were facing the possibility of spending the rest of their lives in prison have been given the opportunity to have their cases dismissed.

If you are facing drug charges in Salt Lake or elsewhere in Utah, contact us today to schedule an initial consultation with a seasoned Salt Lake criminal defense lawyer.

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