There are so many remembrances to be made and people to be grateful for on Veteran’s Day. The following small slice of news regarding veterans may not be on the radar for many Americans, but it is important to at least some of those who have served our country. In Erie County, New York, a judge who was concerned with the young vets coming before him on criminal charges created the first Veterans Court. There are now Veterans Courts in California, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
It is well known that many vets cope with problems when they return home from a deployment and must work to re-adjust to civilian life as well as to any injuries, both physical and mental. Attempts to cope alone can lead to substance abuse or a brush with the law. The New York Times reports that Judge Robert T. Russell, Jr. noticed many of the vets he was seeing in court had serious drug or mental health problems. So Judge Russell created a program to deal with the criminal charges and give these vets a path to recovery.
In Judge Russell’s court, says The Times, there is a 90% completion rate and a 0% recidivism rate.
Former Marine Michael Danny became the first man to graduate Pittsburgh Veteran’s Court in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He competed his year of treatment and left the program on Wednesday, November 10, one day before Veteran’s Day.
Related Resources:
- Courting veterans (Stltoday)
- Veterans help other veterans in special court program here (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- What are Special Veterans Benefits? (FindLaw)
- Courts for Veterans Forming Across the Nation: A New Form of Justice (FindLaw’s Common Law)
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