They are used to being praised for their bravery and dedication to our country. They are not used to being called criminals and navigating court proceedings.
Fortunately, as part of a local pilot program, veterans charged with a first-time crime are paired with mentors— also with a military background—who help the troubled veterans work through a special court program that addresses their underlying problems and gets them back on a positive course.
The Veterans Treatment Review Calendar—commonly called Veteran’s Court— offers active duty and former military personnel convicted of a crime a chance to take part in rehabilitative services and personal counseling. The program, which began a little more than 20 months ago, has had about 30 men and women participate and eight graduate, including five at the San Diego Superior Court in El Cajon Friday.
Public Defender Steve Binder gives a lot of the credit to the volunteers who serve as mentors to these veterans, who are all dealing with a post traumatic stress disorder, a brain injury, a concussion or depression relating to their service.
“The mentors are phenomenal for their selflessness and dedication that they have given to the program,” said Binder. Since the mentors are also veterans, they really connect to the troubled veterans and guide them through the process.
“We allow the treatment professionals, social workers and attorneys to do their work but we share a common bond and experience with them,” said Kevin Farrar, a mentor co-coordinator and combat veteran.
Lead mentor coordinator Pat Russell, who served in Vietnam and is a retired San Diego County District Attorney homicide investigator, said Veterans Court is a rigid program that the veterans must complete to graduate.
“I believe strongly in this. I believe in these kids,” said Russell.
He said many of them are not criminals in the traditional sense; they are simply psychologically wounded, numbed out, and need guidance to readjust to society.
The three-phase Veterans Court program can last from 12 to 18 months, sometimes longer than what the person might have been sentenced to serve had their crimes been heard in a traditional courtroom. The benefit of the program is that it includes substance abuse and mental health treatment, one-on-one counseling from other veterans, and, in other counties, similar programs have helped reduce the rate at which veterans re-offend.
Participants are selected based on their offense and previous clean record. Their mental disorders are often undiagnosed at the time of their crime, and they may only seek help after they are in trouble with the law.
The crimes include drunk driving, assault and battery, and domestic violence. Farrar said veterans with traumatic disorders don’t usually seek help because they may consider it a sign of weakness. Instead, they may try to self medicate with drugs and alcohol, further impairing cognitive abilities, and that’s when they get into trouble.
“We’re not saying posttraumatic stress disorder is something that can be healed but it is something that can be dealt with,” said Binder.
The pilot court deals with it in three phases. The veteran must complete tasks including substance abuse or mental health treatment, meeting with a mentor and reporting to court every other week. When he has completed those tasks, he writes a letter to the judge about his progress in the program.
In phase two, the veteran selects a “give back” project that benefits the community. The veteran works with a nonprofit agency to accomplish something significant that atones for the crime. She also continues to meet with the judge and a mentor on a regular basis and continues in rehabilitative services. The third phase is mostly an after-care phase, but participants are still obligated to appear in court every two to three months with their mentor.
Modeled after other successful local courts, including Drug Court and Homeless Court, Veterans Court is a “collaborative court,” in which participants such as the District Attorney, Public Defenders, Sheriff’s, and Probation departments and various treatment partners work together to review and shape each veteran’s case plan.
The program is about giving veterans a chance to get back on track and lead their lives as solid citizens again. Some veterans who complete the program may have their cases dismissed, see fines put on hold and possibly dismissed, or have time shaved off their period of probation supervision.
Russell said with more young men and women returning from tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, there will be more of a need for these kinds of programs.
“We don’t leave anybody behind and if there’s any way we can help our military brother, we’re going to do it,” said Farrar.
