Veterans Treatment Court Provides Hope and Second Chances
5-minute read
Veterans Treatment Court Provides Hope and Second Chances
5-minute read
For Stephen, a U.S. Navy Veteran, his history of alcohol use and trouble with the law should have led to one of two outcomes. “I should be dead or in jail,” he says. “I should be a statistic.”
For Ray, a U.S. Army Veteran, a drinking-induced downward spiral cost him his marriage, children, home, and federal government career. “Ultimately, I gave up on life,” he says. One day he woke up in a jail cell, charged with endangering the public and aggravated assault on a police officer.
Frank, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, thought he had put his substance use and related fights and arrests behind him after completing treatment at a VA drug and alcohol detox center. Seven months later, when his father became terminally ill and died, Frank returned to use and was arrested for driving while intoxicated a second time.
Veterans Treatment Court | Turning Things Around
All three Veterans were able to turn their lives around through Veterans Treatment Court (VTC), the VA treatment it connected them to, and the accountability it demanded of them. They are among the Veterans sharing their stories about their experiences with the court—and their outcomes—so other Veterans will know that help is available for them, too.
Explains Michael, a U.S. Army Veteran who also shares his story, “I never thought there was any light at the end of the tunnel. And now that I found it, I’d like to guide other people to it.”
More than 600 Veterans Treatment Court programs are operating in courts in nearly every state in the country. If you are a Veteran or a family member or friend of a Veteran, here are some important things to know about Veterans Treatment Courts, how to access them, and the difference they can make in a Veteran’s life.
How Veterans Treatment Courts work
Veterans Treatment Courts are initiated, funded, and operated by local governments. Unlike with traditional criminal courts, the primary purpose of a Veterans Treatment Court is not to determine whether a defendant is guilty of an offense. Its main purpose is to ensure that the Veteran receives mental health or substance use treatment to address unmet clinical needs.
To join and remain in a VTC program, Veterans must first agree to and then comply with certain conditions. For example, they may be required to participate in treatment, submit to substance use testing, reach specific milestones, and agree to monitoring of their progress.
Stephen’s journey to the support that Veterans Treatment Court provided was long and rough, with its origins in his childhood. “I didn’t comprehend that I had a substance abuse issue. I thought it was normal because that's what I grew up with,” says Stephen, whose father misused substances and abused Stephen’s mother. “I self-medicated and ran away from home all the time.”
When Stephen’s substance misuse was discovered during his time in the Navy from 1997 to 2001, he was offered the option to remain in the service if he agreed to receive inpatient treatment. He didn’t believe he needed treatment and declined the offer.
Drinking excessively in the years after his service, Stephen nearly died when he drove his car into a telephone pole in 2011. “I don’t remember anything but waking up in a hospital bed handcuffed to the bed,” he says.
Stephen’s accident and his court-directed treatment at VA, which included therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder, were turning points. Stephen says it helped that his mental health counselor was a Veteran.
“That man was a mentor as well as my therapist. He helped guide me along the way. He saw me from my lowest to me graduating,” says Stephen, who became a research assistant, behavior coach, and mentor.
How Veterans get considered for the court
Referrals or requests for consideration can come from many sources, including judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officers, or the Veterans themselves, depending on how the particular court operates. Typically, the Veteran must also clear an application or screening process and have a diagnosable mental health or substance use condition.
Eligibility rules for participation in a Veterans Treatment Court are also dependent on the Veteran’s state or locality. For example, many of the courts accept Veterans with either misdemeanor or felony charges. However, some accept only those with misdemeanor charges, while others accept only those with felony charges. Some courts will consider Veterans charged with violent offenses, whereas others will not.
In Ray’s case, he was allowed access to the court even with his aggravated assault charge. In treatment, he particularly liked the group sessions with other Veterans. “We could definitely relate to one another,” he says. “We’d talk about what’s going on with our lives and try to help each other, try to motivate each other to make positive life changes.”
The VA mental health therapy and treatment got him sober and changed the way he lived. “I learned to set healthy boundaries in my life,” he says. “I learned of different ways to cope with reality than having to self-medicate. Today I practice a lot of self-care. I do things that make me feel good in the heart.”
In 2018 Ray founded a nonprofit that provides free support to Veterans experiencing addiction, PTSD, or suicidal ideation and to Veterans coming out of prison, jail, and rehabilitation programs.
How Veterans are supported by VA and Veteran mentors
Although VA doesn’t run the Veterans Treatment Courts, it is involved in treatment-related aspects of the court process. Veterans Justice Outreach specialists from VA serve on VTC treatment teams. The specialists assess the Veteran’s treatment needs and link the Veteran with appropriate VA treatment services. Specialists may also be tasked with providing regular updates to the court on the Veteran’s progress in treatment.
Another key component of the courts is that Veterans who have trained as mentors are assigned to help guide, coach, and encourage other Veterans as they move through the treatment program.
Frank’s mentor was, like himself, a Marine Corps Veteran who had experienced challenges with substance misuse. “Just having someone that understood everything that I felt made it much easier for me to accept help from people,” Frank says.
The VA treatment and mentor support contributed to Frank’s turnaround.
“From the time that I went in there to the time that I graduated, my life changed substantially,” the Veteran says. “I was able to regain some things that I have lost in the process of using, and most importantly was my family. Once my family seen me doing the right thing, the trust started coming back. The good times started happening all over again.”
After completing the program, Frank was invited to become a mentor too. He accepted.
“I want to be an example to them,” Frank says, “because if I can make it, I feel like anyone can make it.”
