McSally Introduces Bill For Expanding Veteran Treatment Courts – Patch.com

ARIZONA Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ), along with four other U.S. senators, Tuesday introduced a bipartisan bill to expand veteran treatment courts across the country. Veteran treatment courts partner with the criminal justice system to give a second chance to veterans facing charges for nonviolent midsdemeanor crimes.

The first veteran treatment court in Arizona was established in Tucson in 2009, and has since been renamed the Regional Municipalities Veterans Treatment Court. That court serves as a pattern for those that would be developed under McSally et al's "The Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2019." Such veterans treatment courts use a "pre-plea model" that dismisses charges and leaves the vet without a criminal record. The veteran treatment courts then help these vets with any substance abuse or mental health issues and gets them back on a path to success through recovery program enrollment.

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) one of the bill's cosponsors along with McSally, John Cornyn (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Chris Coons (D-DE) spoke of the need to understand what might cause veterans to get entangled with the criminal justice system after service. "For veterans who have served our nation and suffered from PTSD, a brain injury or other trauma, veteran treatment courts help ensure that the criminal justice system is effectively considering the underlying causes of their behavior."

McSally says the veterans courts have shown success. The Tucson veterans treatment court has worked with nearly 1,000 veterans, with about 750 of those graduating from the court's prescribed treatment program. Veterans treatment courts give vets access to resources such as local VA officials, public defenders and prosecutors, veteran organizations, judges and community organization members who work alongside veterans while they embark on their treatment plans.

"So many veterans come back from war with invisible wounds that result in addiction and other behavioral manifestations," McSally said in a statement. "Veteran courts are a proven way to get our veterans the care they need and get them back on track. Then, they can continue to contribute to society with the military core values they lived by in uniform. [The Tucson veterans court has] repeatedly had success in these programs, and that's why they ought to be expanded nationwide."

The Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2019 would establish a program where local, state and tribal governments would partner with the Department of Veterans Affairs to start and maintain veteran treatment courts. The legislation covers technical assistance, training and grants to get veteran treatment courts up and running and to support communities striving to establish such a program.

In 2008, New York established the first veteran treatment court. There are now more than 450 veteran treatment courts nationwide.

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McSally Introduces Bill For Expanding Veteran Treatment Courts - Patch.com