Get Involved
If you would like to get involved with the Specialty Treatment Court program as a mentor or a sponsor, please fill out the form below.
What It Means to Be a Mentor
Mentors are men or women who are committed to conversing with Mentees (returning citizens/reentry participants) by telephone or in person once a week for a minimum of two and a half years to three years as a Reentry participant earns his way to reduced supervision and freedom by having positive, lawful outcomes as a productive citizen.
Mentoring Reentry Court participants is an opportunity to coach reentry participants who have completed the incarceration phase of the Reentry Court of Jefferson Parish. The Reentry Court Program is a specialty court program given the responsibility to handle cases involving non-violent, non-sex offenders through a supervision and treatment program. These programs include frequent judicial status reviews, intensive probation supervision, drug counseling, treatment, educational opportunities, employment assistance, case management, and the use of sanctions.
During the incarceration phase, Reentry participants are mentored by lifers at Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary. When Reentry participants return to Jefferson Parish, Mentors in the community are an important component to the returning citizen’s reintegration into the community. Every returning citizen is assigned an individual mentor as a community support. As a result, we have developed a no expense online training program to better equip those interested in becoming a mentor.
What it Means to Be a Sponsor
An addiction sponsor is a person who volunteers to help a newly recovering addict in the early stages of recovery. Typically associated with 12-step programs, getting a sponsor or becoming one yourself can be a mutually beneficial experience for both parties.Benefits for the sponsor: Lending a hand to a fellow recovering addict can increase self-esteem, boost confidence and give the sponsor a stronger sense of purpose. Positive feelings like these could even help sponsors stay more focused, grounded and dedicated to their own recoveries.
Newcomers to addiction recovery may face challenges in the early stages of sober living. Sponsors can provide valuable insight and guidance that may help them overcome these challenges and make a smoother transition to a substance-free lifestyle.For example, sponsors can help recovering addicts stay dedicated to practicing the coping skills they learned during rehab. And, because sponsors are usually farther along in recovery, they could even help prevent common relapse triggers before it’s too late.
What Does a Sponsor Do?
Without overcomplicating it, the primary responsibility of an addiction sponsor is to be there to support the newly recovering addict.
What kinds of things does a sponsor do?
Listens: Sponsors listen to people when they need to talk about their recovery or difficult life events.
Helps: Sponsors help recovering addicts by sharing their personal experiences and offering advice.
Encourages: Sponsors help others stay focused and motivated about addiction recovery.
Prevents: Sponsors help prevent relapse by emphasizing the importance of healthy coping techniques.
Sponsors of participants in the 24th JDC Specialty Treatment Courts are responsible for submitting a contact report as frequently as the treatment plan requires.
“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.”