Visit the DEAR office to complete an intake process during our office hours: Wednesday - Friday, 10:00am to 3:00pm.
The DEAR program is free.
We are located at:
The Durham County Courthouse
510 S Dillard St., Suite 6400, 6th Floor
Durham, NC 27701
(follow signs for Drug Court Admin.)
We accept walk-ins. No appointment is needed. The program is provided free of charge by the City of Durham.
We know it can be complicated, so if you are not sure, come meet with us.
In general, you may be eligible if any of the following are true:
You have dismissed or not guilty charge.
You have one “nonviolent” felony conviction and at least 10 years have passed from the end of your sentence without other convictions OR you have up to three “nonviolent felony convictions and 20 years have passed from the end of your sentence and you have no other convictions in the last five years.
You have one “nonviolent” misdemeanor conviction and at least 5 years have passed since the end of your sentence OR you have multiple “nonviolent misdemeanor convictions and 7 years have passed since the end of your last sentence.
o You have misdemeanor or class H or I felony convictions (except for misdemeanor sexual battery) that were committed when you were 16 or 17 and before Dec. 1, 2019.
In general, you may be eligible if all of the following are true:
Your charges must be OLDER than 12 months.
Your charges must be in DURHAM County OR you must be a Durham resident
Your charges CANNOT involve DWIs or be DWI-related.
You have three or fewer Class H or I felony convictions or any misdemeanor convictions.
You have no other convictions for a felony or misdemeanor other than for traffic violations.
You are not in violation of any criminal sentence, or violation is justified, excused, involuntary, or insubstantial.
You have no pending criminal charges.
It has been at least 12 months since the completion of your sentence