There have been a variety of programs created throughout the country to assist veterans that are struggling with various drug abuse or alcohol dependency issues. The goal of special courts for these veterans that are popping up throughout the United States is in part an effort to try to get veterans into treatment instead of jail.
One advantage of these veterans’ courts is to provide resources for these troubled veterans at the earliest possible moment. Many of these resources are provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
However, a psychotherapist for the National Organization on Disability’s Wounded Warrior Program in Colorado feels that we are still not doing enough. This therapist feels many programs pick and choose the easiest of cases and ignore those veterans accused of violent crimes and who need treatment the most badly. “These populations are treatable, a high percentage of them,” he says, “if we took the approach of rehabilitating them rather than incarcerating them.”
No doubt, many domestic violence incidents come about due to veterans struggling with chemical dependency issues that are having problems dealing with civilian life. One veteran described the process as coming out of a coma and then “realizing all of the damage you did to the people around you.”
While the court system and the legislature completely catch up with the reality of what these veterans face, these veterans will continually have to depend upon the services of criminal defense attorneys that can assist in finding whatever other resources are available. The same is true for non-veterans struggling with many of the same issues.
Source: Gimby News, “Veteran Treatment Courts aim to keep vets out of jail,” by Brooks Hays, Jan. 12, 2013
- Please visit our website for more information regarding what to do if facing domestic violence charges.