Photo By Staff Sgt. Les Newport | Judge David Certo, of the Indianapolis Community Court plans to establish a veterans...... read more read more
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INDIANAPOLIS - The prevailing shared opinion of most everyone involved with veterans courts is the significance of volunteer mentors and the need for more of them.
Despite the lack of federal funding and overburdened budgets, many local court systems have taken on the financial expense of developing local veterans courts.
The courts would task parole offices with supervising mandated treatment and provide mentors to offenders for as much as a year, and longer.
Judges, from local to state supreme justices, have advocated for the special courts. Judge Maria Granger of Floyd County presides over the veterans court in New Albany, Ind. Her stepson was killed in action, and she has professional connections to the military. For more than a year, she has been working with local veteran service organizations to staunch the steady flow of veterans cycling through the criminal legal system.
“It's not easy; it's strict, and intense. They have to want that assistance,” said Granger. “They are inclined to participate; everyone doesn't choose it.”
To keep participants focused on a goal, Granger has recruited a corps of volunteer mentors who are veterans themselves. She said someone with a similar experience can have a significant and immediate impact.
“They are a critical piece, a friend, a coach, someone to bring things into perspective. They are very dedicated, the epitome of no veteran left behind,” said Granger.
Steve Mennemeyer, a family programs specialist for the Indiana National Guard, is one of seven mentors volunteering for the court. He said the mentors act as guides, sometimes translators for the participants, who often exhibit unexpected behaviors.
“They’re embarrassed and don’t respond,” said Mennemeyer. “Other veterans can understand that. They want to quietly take their punishment and move on. But that doesn’t fix anything.”
The National Association of Drug Court Professionals provides training for judges and court personnel so they have a better understanding of some of the issues that land veterans in court, and resources available to help them recover.
Christopher Deutsch, director of communications for the association, said although available evidence is primarily anecdotal; there is reason to believe veterans courts can replicate the successes of other treatment courts.
“The nation’s first veterans court in Buffalo, N.Y., has had 81 participants without a single case of a repeat offender,” said Deutsch. “The biggest challenge we face is not knowing how many veterans appear in courts. It’s not something anyone has been following.”
Marion County Judge David Certo plans to establish a veterans court in Indianapolis by the end of the year. To accomplish this deadline, along with other agencies, he secured a grant for an 11-member team to visit Buffalo for training.
“This does two things,” said Certo. “We will all get the same training, and we not only find out what’s possible, but also what will work so we can build on it from there.”
The team will consist of professionals from Veterans Affairs, the prosecuting attorney’s office, the public defender’s office, mental health field as well as a coordinator for volunteer mentors.
Certo envisions the mentors as an important key to a successful program.
“They will likely have experience with military, experience with things going wrong in their lives and experience getting things back on track,” said Certo.
The prevailing shared opinion of most everyone involved with veterans courts is the significance of volunteer mentors and the need for more of them.
Mennemeyer said veterans with even a slight interest in volunteering should attend a veterans court to see for themselves. Granger conveys confidence when encouraging volunteers to help. “The small time they may spend pays beyond measure,” she said.
Other counties have committed to providing extended services to veterans.
A U.S. congressional bill to provide federal funding for veterans courts across the country was sent back to committee in December 2012. Approximately $150 million would support special courts for veterans over the next six years. An additional $60 million would establish a judicial task force and resource center for drug courts.
The proposed legislation is another in a line of unsuccessful bills authored to help keep veterans out of already over-crowded prisons with the expectation that rehabilitation is a viable option for offenders.
For now, local and state courts will determine, by way of local funding, if veterans receive deferential treatment.
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 03.08.2013 11:06 |
| Story ID: | 103151 |
| Location: | INDIANAPOLIS, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 264 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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