This document provides an overview of veterans treatment courts. It discusses that veterans treatment courts were established in 2008 to address issues like PTSD, depression, substance abuse, and traumatic brain injury that veterans face upon returning from service. The document outlines the key roles in veterans treatment courts, including the judge, attorneys, veteran mentors, and probation officers. It also discusses the process veterans go through, including frequent court appearances and mandatory treatment programs. While veterans treatment courts have grown to around 197 courts currently, there remains uncertainty around their impact on reducing recidivism among veterans.

1. Veterans Treatment
Courts
Chaze L. Patrick
Illinois State University
November 13, 2014

2. Overview of Presentation
• Background/History
• Introduction
• Methodology
• Findings/ Results
• Discussion/ Conclusion

3. Background
• Veterans face stressors in
readjustment:
• PTSD
• Depression
• Substance Abuse
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Has been argued that
these factors contribute
to the criminality of
veterans in America

4. Background Cont’d
• FirstVeterans Court was
established in 2008 in Buffalo
NYC
• Hon. Robert Russell
• Started this specialty court
based on increase ofVeterans
on Mental Health court and
Drug Court Dockets.
• Is also a veteran as well.
http://justiceforvets.org/vtc-history

5. Introduction
• Learning more about how prevalent this
specialty court is?
• What is it’s purpose?
• Who are the key players in these courts?
• Is it effective in reducing recidivism?

6. Definition of Veteran Treatment Courts
TheVeteransTreatment Court model requires regular court
appearances (a bi-weekly minimum in the early phases of the
program), as well as mandatory attendance at treatment
sessions and frequent and random testing for substance use
(drug and/or alcohol). Veterans respond favorably to this
structured environment given their past experiences in the
Armed Forces.

7. Methodology
Content Analysis:
Content analysis is a careful, detailed, systematic
examination and interpretation of a particular body
of material in an effort to identify patterns, themes,
biases, and meanings (as cited in Berg & Lune,
2011).
• Content Analysis
• Articles
• Videos
• Map
• Websites

8. Findings/Results
• As of today, there are approximately 197VTC’s
• Major roles within the courts:
• Judge
• District Attorney or State’s Attorney
• Defense Attorney
• Veteran Mentor
• Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist (VJO)
• Probation Officer (TASC)
• Time frame:
• Range: 6 months to 1.5 year
•Process is voluntary!!!

9. Findings/Results Cont’d
• Process of mostVTC’s
• Population is mostly male, white, OEF/OIF veterans,Army
• Most prevalent crimesTraffic and Drug Offenses
• Common Methods of Supervision:
• Attendance of drug treatment programs
• Drug testing
• Checking – in to judge frequently (2 to 3 times a month)
• Critics of VTC:
• No uniformity of policy (Variance between counties and states)
• Veteran-Only Status (Discriminatory and unfair advantage)
• Arguments on basis of restorative justice for victim
• DomesticViolence

10. Discussion/Conclusion
• Still continues to grow in America
• Some areas are limited because of funding
• Remains unclear of how this court reduces
recidivism
• Future Research Recommendations:
• Conduct longitudinal study on recidivism rates
• Local/Statewide levels and processes should be
assessed

11. Cpl David
Fontanez
(1986-2014)

12. Questions