Over five years ago, SFTT met with Judge John Schwartz,  one of the early pioneers in the Veteran Court system.  Discussing the rationale for Vet Courts, Judge Schwartz stated the following “We offer hope to these troubled veterans who have served our country so valiantly.  It’s simply common sense.”

Today, Vet Courts are needed more than ever to help Veterans recover their lives.   Indeed, when one reads that the “the modern opioid epidemic originated within the healthcare system,” one must be simply oblivious to the plight of Veterans if we choose to penalize them once again.

Drug Courts began to emerge in the nineties to deal more effectively with a growing drug problem in the United States.  As SFTT wrote earlier,

“Since the mid-1990, the US judicial system has recognized the need to deal with drug-related criminal activity and have established some 2,600 Drug Treatment Courts in the United States.  Drug treatment courts are specialized community courts designed to help stop the abuse of drugs, alcohol, and related criminal activity. Non-violent offenders who have been charged with simple possession of drugs are given the option to receive treatment instead of a jail sentence.   These programs have proven to be remarkably successful for reducing the level of recidivism in our prison system.

Capitalizing on the infrastructure and success of the Drug Treatment Courts, some 50 or so Veteran Courts (now reportedly 300) have sprung up across the United States to deal with veterans who have committed a crime while suffering from substance abuse.  In many cases, these troubled vets have the support of other Vets (often from the Vietnam era) who “mentor” their military colleagues through the rehabilitation process.

This descriptive video from Justice for Vets provides a useful overview of why our Veterans deserves a better choice than incarceration:

Thanks to Judge Schwartz and other inspired leaders in our judicial and police system, Veteran Courts have expanded all across the United States.  Nevertheless, NPR reported earlier this year that many more Vet Courts are required.  Specifically, NPR noted that some states still do not have a Vet Court and that North Carolina has only 3 when the evidence suggests that we require 17.

As SFTT and others have reported in the past, Veterans with PTSD and TBI have been largely neglected by the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”).  Veterans suffering from brain trauma often resort to substance abuse to curb pain and many resort to crime to support their habits.  Should we penalize these brave Veterans for our collective failings to provide our Veterans with the support they deserve?

SFTT would like to thank the many Veterans and volunteers in the legal profession who give of their time to support our Veterans through an often confusing legal system.

When communities reach out to help these brave warriors, our society is enriched. From our perspective, it’s simply a matter of doing the right thing!  We owe these brave young men and women big time!