Farmington’s 28-day inpatient DWI pilot begins with a five-person cap

Farmington’s new 28-day inpatient alternative-sentencing pilot began August 1, offering a more structured treatment option for a narrow group of repeat alcohol-related municipal defendants with documented noncompletion of the Joint Intervention Program.

The pilot is capped at five participants and uses the San Juan County DWI Treatment Facility at 1006 N. Municipal Drive in Farmington. It is an announced pilot arrangement, not a new law or permanent change in sentencing, and a missed or incomplete Joint Intervention Program placement does not automatically result in inpatient admission.

Who may be considered

The pilot is aimed at repeat municipal defendants with alcohol-related offenses who have documented noncompletion of Totah Behavioral Health’s Joint Intervention Program, or JIP. A judge must authorize the placement through the court and alternative-sentencing process.

San Juan County Alternative Sentencing retains discretion over eligibility, admission and available space. The county’s existing screening and admission standards remain in effect.

That means the pilot does not make every JIP nonparticipant eligible for a 28-day stay. The five-person limit is a maximum for the pilot, not a guarantee that five people will be admitted.

How the inpatient option differs from JIP

Farmington’s May administrative report describes JIP as a collaborative program involving the Farmington Police Department, the city, San Juan County, the county detention center, San Juan Regional Medical Center, Presbyterian Medical Services, Totah Behavioral Health Authority and other community providers.

The report says JIP provides intensive case management, outpatient substance-abuse treatment, psychiatric and primary medical care, behavioral-health and other support services, discharge planning and housing assistance. Its housing component begins with Paul’s Place, a dormitory where participants work with community support workers toward permanent housing.

Officials told the Tri-City Record that JIP is a less-secured treatment setting in which participants can leave. The new pilot instead provides a court-authorized inpatient alternative-sentencing placement at the DWI Treatment Facility. A participant who completes the placement remains there for 28 days and receives inpatient addiction treatment.

The pilot is aimed at a municipal-offender group that officials distinguished from the county’s existing DWI population. It does not generally expand eligibility for everyone who receives DWI-related or alcohol-related treatment.

Farmington will pay by placement

Under the announced agreement, the City of Farmington will pay San Juan County $3,916 for each participant who completes the 28-day program. If a participant does not complete the stay, the city will pay a prorated rate of $139.86 per day.

San Juan County Alternative Sentencing will track outcomes during the pilot. Officials said the results will help determine whether the arrangement continues, expands or ends. Either party may terminate the agreement for convenience with 30 days’ written notice.

A limited test, not a general expansion

The pilot addresses a specific gap officials identified between outpatient treatment that some defendants do not complete and jail. Its practical effect in Farmington will depend on court authorization, documented JIP noncompletion, county screening, clinical standards and available beds.

The city’s May report listed 25 people currently enrolled in JIP and 40 people who had participated in the program during 2026. Those figures describe the broader support program, not the number of people eligible for the new inpatient pilot.

Sources

• Farmington Police partner with SJC Alternative Sentencing for new program
• City of Farmington Administrative Services Monthly Report, May 2026
• San Juan County Alternative Sentencing