FRANKFORT, Ky., Feb. 18, 2025 – Kentucky Specialty Courts announced today that the Campbell County Drug Court program attained certification based on its use of best practices to create optimal conditions for participant outcomes.
“I am so proud of this honor and accomplishment as it is a positive reflection of all the unsung hard work of everyone that has been involved in this program for over two decades,” said Campbell District Court Judge Cameron J. Blau, who volunteers his time to serve as the jurisdiction’s Drug Court judge.
Judge Blau credited a list of people for their work over the years toward the program earning certification: retired Judges Karen L. Thomas and Fred A. Stine; current Judges Daniel J. Zalla and Erin Sizemore; jailer Jim Daley; retired jailer Greg Buckler; Drug Court case workers Sydney Baxter and Maggie Wendt and previous case workers George Picard, Paul Dierig, Emily Bowen and Natalie Ellis; Deputy Clerk Julie Gross in the Campbell County Office of Circuit Court Clerk; and all of the community partners involved, including the Campbell County commonwealth’s attorney, Campbell County’s county attorney and the local Public Defender’s Office.
The Campbell County program was evaluated and certified in 2024 with the standards set out in Kentucky Supreme Court Administrative Order 2022-50. The certification is for three years.
Kentucky Specialty Courts certification efforts started in 2023 with the Supreme Court’s adoption of amended rules in the Supreme Court order. The Certification Advisory Committee that oversees the certification process is headed by the chief justice and made up of 11 members.
Other Kentucky Drug Court programs that have received certification serve the jurisdictions of Clark, Daviess, Fayette, Hardin, Jefferson, Johnson, McCracken and Pulaski counties.
Specialty Courts staff continue to work with Drug Courts across the commonwealth that are seeking certification. The goal is for all Drug Court programs to become certified and for Kentucky to be nationally recognized for its certification process.
About Kentucky Drug Court
Kentucky Drug Court operates as part of the Department of Specialty Courts at the Administrative Office of the Courts. Drug Court was Kentucky’s first Specialty Court program. Since being introduced as a pilot program in 1996, Drug Court has grown to all 120 counties.
Drug Court serves nonviolent offenders whose primary challenges stem from substance use disorder. This court-managed program offers treatment, intensive supervision, drug testing and case management at no cost to participants. Some counties provide programs for both felony- and misdemeanor-level offenses. Those who complete the program may have their charges dismissed through diversion or be granted conditional discharge through probation.
To learn more about Specialty Courts, visit https://kcoj.info/SpecialtyCourts.
Administrative Office of the Courts
The Administrative Office of the Courts is the operations arm of the Judicial Branch (Kentucky Court of Justice) and is based in Frankfort. The AOC supports the activities of nearly 3,300 employees and 412 elected justices, judges and circuit court clerks and executes the Judicial Branch budget.
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