Deferred Entry of Judgment and Proposition 36

Deferred Entry of Judgment (DEJ) and Prop. 36 are both designed to give drug offenders a chance at treatment and rehabilitation rather than incarceration.

DEJ is the easier of the two programs, with typically a brief drug counseling program and a dismissal of the case 18 months later. Prop. 36 is a more arduous program but both lead to a clean record once they've been successfully completed.

When all else has failed, and a client is not eligible for either of the above programs there is a last hope: Drug Court.

Drug court requires a full-time commitment by the client to work through the program in order to graduate successfully. It is, however, better than jail.