Our Mission

To assist the Criminal Justice System in addressing the substance abuse problem by providing a long-term residential quality treatment program that will promote positive change in criminal and addictive behaviors for the purpose of successfully reintegrating adult offenders into society.

“Treatment courts are the single most successful intervention in our nation’s history for leading people living with substance use and mental health disorders out of the justice system and into lives of recovery and stability.”

— National Association of Drug Court Professionals, www.nadcp.org.

Program Goals and Objectives

We strive to meet the following goals:

  1. Promote public safety by reducing recidivism among program participants.

  2. Reduce incarceration of non-violent, chemically dependent offenders by providing intensive alcohol and drug treatment.

  3. Gain community support for recovery and rehabilitation.

To achieve these goals we:

  1. Promote personal responsibility and accountability of participants.

  2. Encourage participation in recovery support groups and ongoing communication with recovery sponsors.

  3. Reduce the number of positive drug screens by providing individual and group treatment by a substance abuse counselor.

  4. Identify criminal thinking behavior.

  5. Provide vocational training and educational classes to assist participants in maintaining full-time employment.

  6. Provide community service work for non-profits and governmental agencies.

  7. Educate the community on DC4’s mission and increase the public’s awareness of the cycle of chemical addiction.

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Our History

The Davidson County Residential Drug Court Program, also known as DC4, is a residential recovery court program located in Nashville, Tennessee. Established in 1997 by Judge Seth Norman, DC4 is known for its unique community approach to treatment. The key to the program’s success is Developing Character During Confinement (DC4).  At DC4, residents are immersed into a therapeutic residential community designed to allow participants to fully engage with specialized treatment in a supervised and structured environment.

DC4 is the only state-run residential treatment center serving both male and female participants in Tennessee. Though many residents do come from the Nashville/Davidson County area, DC4 accepts referrals from courts throughout the state. Judge Jennifer Smith currently presides over the Davidson County Residential Drug Court under the jurisdiction of Criminal Court Division IV in the 20th Judicial District of Tennessee.

A typical treatment episode consists of a long-term residential stay that is followed by outpatient services. DC4 also offers a mental health, dual-diagnosis track for participants diagnosed with mental health disorders. Residents have access to a host of services during their treatment at DC4, ranging from psychiatric evaluations to job readiness training.

Judge Norman

Hon. Seth Norman (ret.)

FOUNDER AND FIRST PRESIDING JUDGE OF DC4

Judge Seth Norman served as the Judge of Criminal Court Division IV in the 20th Judicial District from 1990-2018 and served as a Sr. Drug Court Judge through June 30, 2019. He is the former Presiding Judge over DC4 and Morgan County Residential Recovery Court (MCRRC). Judge Norman continues to serve by providing technical assistance to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) related to recovery courts and the long-term residential recovery court model.

Judge Norman has worked with and assisted the National Judicial College, the Tennessee Bar Journal, the Nashville Bar Journal, and TAADAS in writing articles on substance abuse disorder treatment and criminal justice issues. Judge Norman and DC4 have been highlighted in various editions of the above listed publications as well as the 2004 President’s Drug Control Strategy, Newsweek Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Tennessean, Nashville Scene, and other local periodicals.