Platte County’s most recently formed treatment court is offering an alternative to traditional criminal punishments for veterans in trouble.
The veterans treatment court was established earlier this year in the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Platte County and as Veterans Day approaches the court has released additional information about its work.
According to the court, an estimated one in five post-9/11 veterans struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression, and one in six has a substance use disorder.
“If these issues lead to involvement in the local justice system, the Circuit Court of Platte County has taken steps to ensure the veteran has the possibility of receiving the treatment, structure and mentoring needed to get their lives back on track,” the release states.
Traditionally, justice-involved veterans have been scattered throughout the justice system, making it difficult to coordinate effective treatment interventions. The newly established veterans treatment court in Platte County is an attempt to solve this problem by clustering veterans onto a single docket and linking them with resources designed for the needs that can arise from military service. Through this approach, the court can bring to bear the myriad of local, state and federal resources exclusive to veterans, including representatives from Veterans Affairs, vet centers, veterans service organizations, volunteer veteran mentors and other support organizations.
Platte County prosecutor Eric Zahnd updated the county commission on the work of the treatment courts this summer, stating since the establishment of the first treatment court – for DWI – in 2012, the program has been largely successful, with very few program graduates re-offending.
Since, the county has established treatment courts for people dealing with mental illness, drug addiction and most recently the veteran court. Judges Dennis Eckold and Quint Shafer oversee the treatment courts in addition to their regular duties.
Zahnd said the treatment courts help defendants to deal with the underlying problems that may have caused them to break the law.
“If we don’t do this, we see these people back in the system over and over again,” Zahnd said.
In the county’s veterans treatment court, those who served in the armed forces participate in the treatment court process with their fellow veterans, re-instilling the sense of solidarity they experienced while in the military.
One of the keys to veterans treatment court success has been volunteer veterans from the community who serve as mentors to veterans involved in the program. By pairing struggling veterans with a volunteer veteran mentor, the program gives both parties the chance to reclaim a sense of honor, duty and leadership. In serving as mentors, volunteer veterans themselves find a sense of fulfillment and empowerment.
“Honoring our veterans means ensuring they have stable housing, employment and education opportunities,” the release states. “It means treating their invisible wounds of war just as earnestly as we would treat their physical wounds. When substance use and mental health disorders lead veterans into the justice system, the proper response should be to determine whether justice would be best served by diverting them into a veterans treatment court where they can receive the appropriate treatment and supervision.
“Veterans served to protect our freedom and this newly established treatment court in Platte County is an effort to address their needs and recognize their service.”