Veterans Court Better Option for Arrested Vets
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January marked the 4th anniversary of Veterans Court. It was started by Judge Patricia Marks to better meet specific needs of veterans.
It has been quite a success, now run by Judge John Schwartz. It is intended for veterans arrested for non-violent felonies such as drug possession or driving while intoxicated.
Ken Moore of the Monroe County Veterans Services said, “They sit one session in the court and if they like what they see, they choose to take part. They plead guilty to their charge, sign a contract that they’ll do certain things such as random drug screening, weekly drug screening, go to treatment or in an anger management situation go to treatment for that.”
There is also a mentoring program available made up of twenty veteran mentors. The mentors help charged veterans get back on track. Funding is available to help veterans pay bills, bus passes to get to and from court among other expenses.
As of today, 80 defendants have graduated from the program, with less than 10 percent returning back into the system.
Moore said, “They really don’t need to be in Monroe County jail. What they need is treatment and the treatment court .”
To find out more visit Veterans Service Agency.