DEJ Guidelines
If this is your first offense involving a controlled substance, you may be eligible for the Deferred Entry of Judgement (DEJ) Program. To participate in this program, you would be required to enter a guilty plea, but you would not be sentenced, judgement would not be entered, and it would not be considered a conviction.
Instead you would be ordered to enroll in and complete a drug counseling through a certified treatment program. You will be required to return to court every 2-3 months for progress reports for a period of 18 months.
Completed Treatment
If you successfully complete drug treatment, including paying all fees, you will be allowed to withdraw your guilty plea, and your case will be dismissed. The arrest will be deemed never to have occurred, and it cannot be used against you.
If asked, you can legally say that you were never arrested, convicted, or granted DEJ.
Local Program
3090 M Street
Merced, CA 95340
Appointments to enroll must be made in person, please bring proof of income with you to your appointment. If you prefer to do the program in another county, permission must be granted from the Court.
For more information about either DEJ or
Proposition 36, contact our office at
(209) 385-7692.
