When I was preparing for retirement, I was already on the way to becoming a clinical psychiatrist. I finished the first year of my master's degree in clinical psychosocial counseling and would start my internship and internship in about seven months. Knowing that as a clinician I wanted to work with veterans, I contacted our local veterans treatment court to see if I could observe some of the events.
I had previously been in court and had used a detail as a security escort for a court martial, but that was a military court – a jurisdiction that functions differently from the civil justice system. This was a real courtroom with the judge on the bench in a robe and all. But that's not what I noticed when I first came in. The first thing I noticed was a veteran sitting on the right in an orange jumpsuit with his hands and feet bound.
I knew him.
We served together about seven years ago; I was the corporal of the company in his unit. He was particularly memorable for me, not only because we were in the same company, but because I was at the gate the day he came back from outside the cable, after seeing his train sergeant being wounded by a sniper. When this incident in 2006 brought a flashing red line to him in the county jail, I was at both ends of that line.
The time in between was marked by medical problems, homelessness, addiction, relationship problems and involvement in criminal justice. It was a shock for me to see someone I was with in this situation. But I understood; many of us do it. Veterans are severely affected by the extremely traumatic events they routinely experience.
Veteran Treatment Courts
If you are unfamiliar with veteran treatment courts, you are not alone. Although the number of courts across the country is increasing, they seem to be unknown to those who are not directly concerned with them. Nationwide, there are over 300 of these specialized courts serving veterans.
The country's first veteran courts were established in 2008. These are so-called "problem-solving courts", which are modeled after the drug courts established in the mid-1990s. Not all dishes are the same, and the different models vary by location. However, they are designed to help veterans resolve the issues that have led to their involvement in the criminal justice system.
The problem solving model model is one that addresses a specific problem with similar defendants by employing an interdisciplinary team of professionals to meet the needs of the participants. For example, the drug court offers treatment for the recovery of substance use, looking at other risk factors that could lead to continued involvement in the criminal justice system. Some jurisdictions have other types of problem-solving models such as DUI / DWI or Domestic Violence Courts.
Veterans involved in the justice system often struggle with the difficulties these other courts deal with. However, they are often confronted with many of these problems at the same time, essentially requiring food recovery, DUI, mental health and domestic violence courts. Veteran treatment courts have been designed to address these and other population-specific needs with a multidisciplinary team that includes traditional court personnel such as a judge, prosecutors and defense also treatment providers, law enforcement agencies, veteran ministry officials and a team of volunteer seasoned mentors.
Some may argue that the regular criminal justice system has been handling cases of veterans for years – why set up special courts now? In the past, the elements that drove veterans to commit crimes were not usually limited to the military population. But several extensive campaigns, such as in Afghanistan and Iraq, have spawned a large number of military personnel with extended conflict experience. As a result, there are situational and systematic influences on the thoughts and feelings of many current veterans that lead to bad decisions and reckless, dangerous behavior. I'm not saying that all those who are imprisoned are innocent and misunderstood victims – there are veterans who commit vile and horrible crimes. However, the majority of veterans currently in the criminal justice system are not hardened criminals.
In addition, veterans are generally not repeat offenders with a criminal history. This is the challenge of working with veterans involved in justice – identifying the underlying motivation and causes for disrupted and anti-social behavior. Treating the emotional and behavioral problems that lead to criminal behavior is one of the keys to helping veterans get out of the criminal justice system – and to stay. As a society, we need veterans who return from combat and re-integrate to return to work, attend public trials, go to school, and become scientists.
The challenge, however, is that many veterans have an adjustment period, and the difficulties they bring with them are different for everyone. For some, a lack of meaning and purpose in their lives leads to a time of wandering and aimlessness, and their behavior never reaches the level of crime. However, it is a very thin line that separates reckless behavior from illegal behavior, and veterans often exceed this line.
The majority of veterans leave the service strong and resilient. Many are not and that is a fact. It is also necessary to remember that there are veterans who face and fail to face significant challenges, such as encouraging those who face these challenges.
To gain more information on the effectiveness of veterans' courts, some published studies such as these have shown that graduates of these programs have a lower recurrence rate than others in the criminal justice system.
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Duane France, LPC
Duane France is a retired NCO and combat veteran of the US Army who works as a licensed professional adviser in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is Head of Veterinary Services for the Family Care Center, a private outpatient psychiatric clinic specializing in service members, veterans and their families. He is also a director of the Colorado Veterans Health and Wellness Agency, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the Family Care Center. In addition to his clinical work, he writes and speaks on veteran mental health in his blog and podcast on veteranmentalhealth.com. Contact him at [email protected].
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