Courts for veterans spreading across U.S.

Americans Who Support PTSD Veterans

Courts for veterans spreading across U.S.

Courts for veterans spreading across U.S.

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202426915992&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1

Wave of vets in courts trips alarm.

Lynne Marek / Staff reporter

December 22, 2008

State criminal courts devoted to U.S. war veterans are emerging across the country, from New York to Oklahoma to California, as increasing numbers of soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are showing up as defendants with a special set of problems.

State court judges are joining with local prosecutors, public defenders, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs officials and local lawyer volunteers to create courts with veterans-only case proceedings, because they have seen a common thread of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, head injuries and mental illness underlying the veterans' crimes.

They're hoping the special courts — stocked with veteran mentors, Veterans Affairs staff, volunteer attorneys and social workers — can help rehabilitate veterans and avoid convictions that might cost veterans their future military benefits.

Orange County, Calif., Superior Court Judge Wendy Lindley created California's first criminal treatment court for U.S. military veterans in November after a 27-year-old man who had served in Iraq died in a drug overdose within weeks of passing through her courtroom.

"I just thought, 'I really don't want to see anything like this happen to anyone again,'" Lindley said a few weeks after starting up the veterans' treatment court in Santa Ana, Calif.

The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1.16 million of all adults arrested last year — or nearly 10% — served in the military. While there are no definitive statistics on the number of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, judges across the country say they're seeing recently returned soldiers in their courtrooms more often. They are concerned that PTSD and brain injuries underlie drug and alcohol abuse that leads to arrests for everything from domestic violence to driving while under the influence.

A separate niche

"There's a need, and I think that need is growing," said Judge Michael E. McCarthy, a judge in the Allegheny County, Pa., Court of Common Pleas in Pittsburgh, who estimates that three-quarters of the veterans he sees served in Iraq or Afghanistan. "It's a separate sort of niche that needs to be addressed," said McCarthy, who plans to start a veterans court in Pittsburgh early next year.

Another veterans court is planned for Janesville, Wis., one started this month in Tulsa, Okla., and courts in other states, including Massachusetts and Illinois, are reviewing the idea. All are following the lead of the first veterans court, launched in January in Buffalo, N.Y., by Judge Robert Russell of Buffalo City Court.

Russell pursued the idea of a court exclusively for veterans in Buffalo after he realized he was seeing more young veterans in his drug and mental illness treatment courts. He believed they might benefit from being in the courtroom together, given the military's strong sense of camaraderie, he said. He collaborated with staff from the Buffalo VA Medical Center to design a court that would handle only veterans who had committed nonviolent felonies and misdemeanors.

In addition to steering veterans into back-to-back hearings in one courtroom, the Buffalo court brought volunteer veteran mentors and Veterans Affairs staff into the courtroom to support the defendants and guide them in accessing military benefits that might help solve substance abuse, health, marriage, employment and financial problems.

"You have a totally therapeutic, supportive environment to afford a veteran the best opportunity to be successful," Russell said.

Since starting on Jan. 15, the Buffalo court has absorbed 82 veterans into its program, with 65% of those veterans having served in the current Iraq or Afghanistan wars, said Hank Pirowski, project director for Buffalo's treatment courts. So far, the court is planning to graduate six veterans from the 12- to 16-month program next month, with only two having been unable to avoid convictions, he said.

'Unserved' population

Local prosecutors, public defenders and other state officials, as well as private attorney volunteers, are eager to pitch in. Nick Chiarkas, the state public defender for Wisconsin, has helped push for the courts in Wisconsin as a complement to the law clinics that are helping veterans with civil law issues.

"Not only are you helping them, you're also saving a great deal of money in the system, and you're reducing the crime rate in Wisconsin," Chiarkas said. "It's a win for everybody, and my bias is that I think we owe them."

That's a sentiment shared by Lisa Avery, a lawyer in Santa Ana, Calif., who's volunteering in the veterans court there; Walter Bunt, a K&L Gates partner in Pittsburgh with a son in the Air Force who is supporting the veterans court in his city; and Margaret Cassidy, an in-house attorney at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Washington and a former Pennsylvania prosecutor who helped win an Allegheny County Bar Association grant to start the Pittsburgh court.

"I think it's a population that's not just underserved, it's unserved," said Avery, who is starting the Veterans Legal Resource Center in Santa Ana.

The bulk of the funding for the courts is coming from Veterans Affairs, but some funding has also come from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. State legislatures are also weighing funding proposals, and a bill pending in Congress would provide $25 million for a courts program through the Department of Justice for five years if it passes.

Supporters are gravitating to the concept because of its effectiveness, albeit based on limited results, in reducing recidivism among the veterans. They're also latching onto it in light of the difficulty veterans are having in plowing through the federal system to get military health and disability benefits and treatment.

Tulsa County, Okla., District Court Judge Sarah Day Smith, who has also overseen drug treatment courts, worked with Veterans Affairs to start a veterans court for nonviolent felons this month. She became a backer of the approach after visiting Russell's court in October and discovering that 158 veterans were arrested in Tulsa County that month.

"Oklahoma is one of the states that will get a huge influx of returning veterans, and so because of that there is some real concern," Smith said.

Smith is slowly taking on the 38 veterans eligible for the court program and hopes to have 50 in it by next year.

"They gave so much to us and instead of saying 'we don't need you anymore' or 'the best we can offer is to send you to prison,' this program offers them some light and some hope to get back on their feet," Smith said.

The Santa Ana court handles veterans who have committed any type of crime, whether violent or not. Under the California penal code, any veteran who has served in a combat zone, and has developed psychological or substance abuse problems as a result, is eligible to be treated as opposed to jailed, Lindley said.

McCarthy, the Pittsburgh judge, who was a Navy Seabee during the Vietnam War, and Judge James Daley, who sits on the Rock County Circuit Court bench in Janesville, Wis., and is a Vietnam veteran and reservist Army general, both say they believe the specialized courts will be more successful in turning around the veterans' lives and stopping the criminal behavior by addressing underlying issues.

"We have an obligation to try to help these folks," McCarthy said.

Is Governor Chris Christie, good political friend of Mitt Romney, delaying a call for a transparent investigation for fraud and perjury charges surrounding New Jersey Supreme Court Official Robert Correale and his powerful and influential former law firm, Maynard & Truland?

Please call Governor Chris Christie's office at 609-292-6000 and state that John "Jack" Cunningham's allegations deserve a 'honest' New Jersey State investigation.

Please pass this request for calling Governor Chris Christie to ALL your families and friends 'on and off' the internet. It's about time, New Jersey's state government faced this Cover-up.

Surrender is still not an option. His story needs to be heard... Please press HERE.

Join Our Facebook Cause: PTSD disabled vets should be protected under the Federal Americans with Disability Act?
Help give America's PTSD vets a stronger voice. Join our (daily) growing group.
We are heading for 18,000 members.
http://www.causes.com/causes/488457-ptsd-disabled-vets-should-be-protected-under-the-federal-americans-with-disability-act

"A man good enough to shed his blood for his country, is good enough to receive a square deal afterwards . . ."
-- Theodore Roosevelt

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation."
- George Washington
GOD BLESS OUR VETERANS
Help give America's PTSD vets a stronger voice.
Please join our Facebook Cause. We are nearing 18,000 members.
PTSD disabled vets should be protected under the Federal Americans with Disability Act?
http://www.causes.com/causes/488457/members?m=d033d689

Come join our Facebook Cause: Friends and Supporters of America's PTSD Veterans
We have over 4,400 members.
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/315439/59628385?m=6d54c0aa

PTSD Disabled Veteran Is Nearing The Impossible...

A real David and Goliath story

Nine year corruption battle against his State Government may finally come to light...

http://www.americans-working-together.com/attorney_ethics/id73.html

PLEASE PRESS PICTURE

.

..............................

"I'm looking forward to the day that the federal government makes it a crime to harass the PTSD disabled; on the same criminal level as Sexual Harassment and the harassment of any physical disability.

The 300,000 'new' PTSD veterans deserve at least this much..."

Jack Cunningham, Proud American, Proud Vietnam Veteran, Disabled PTSD Vet

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

VA Busted Again Over Poor Diagnosis and Mistreatment of PTSD Vets

http://www.americans-working-together.com/post_traumatic_stress_disorder_ptsd/id39.html

What is the federal crime to intentional lie to the F.B.I. and present fraudulent evidence.

"You typed it yourself..."

http://www.americans-working-together.com/attorney_ethics/id101.html

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F.B.I. To Investigate Disabled PTSD Vet's (Seven Years) Of Corruption And Civil Rights Violation Charges

Against State Of New Jersey

http://www.americans-working-together.com/id519.html

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PTSDveteranSupport

The below picture is worth 10,000 words...! GOD BLESS OUR MILITARY. Please press the link below the picture to see a larger copy and the story behind it.

http://www.capveterans.com/american_patriotism/id58.html

WEBMASTER

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) Will Soon Be Investigating "Public Corruption" Charges Against High Level State Politicians and Government Officers. http://www.americans-working-together.com/id519.html

These charges pertain to the state's Civil Rights Discrimination of a disabled PTSD Veteran.

Webmaster & Disabled PTSD Vet Jack Cunningham Battles A Corrupt Law Firm And The Powerful State Officials,

Who Are Protecting Them:

The Veteran's Evidence - The Law Firm's Own Contact, Invoices, Supreme Court & Superior Court Filed Documents, Statements, Letters, Certifications, etc.

Please PRESS HERE For Details And Evidence.

http://www.CapVeterans.com

http://www.Americans-Working-Together.com

So far, our non-profit webpages have already had over 5,325,000 hits for 2007.

For an Update on this brave, Marine's story, please press the below picture.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder--the ripple effect can be far reaching... http://www.capveterans.com/americans_who_support_ptsd_veterans/id54.html

PLEASE PRESS THE BELOW LINK TO SEE AN EXAMPLE OF PTSD DISCRIMINATION

http://www.capveterans.com/americans_who_support_ptsd_veterans/id51.html

Although there are a number of reasonable disability accommodations for the physically disabled, there is not one reasonable accommodation for the PTSD disabled. WHY?

PTSD Veteran Support· Email Group

Founded: Apr 21, 2006

There are already 7,934 Members

And Growing Everyday...

"YOU ARE NOT ALONE."

War_Zone_Related_Stress_Reactions

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PTSDveteranSupport/

GOD BLESS AMERICA

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation."    - George Washington

"This Nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened."

            President John F. Kennedy

Especially, if this person, who is being denied his or her rights, is a honorable disabled PTSD veteran.

There are more veterans wounded with PTSD than any other type of combat wound... According to Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) estimates, there are over 98,000 new PTSD Vets. If it is true about this 98,000 new PTSD Veterans, then THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS SHOULD INVESTIGATE WHY THIS NUMBER IS SO HIGH.

The United States Military taught us many things,
but never taught us how to give-up and quit.

LANDMARK LEGAL-MALPRACTICE CASE: Superior Court Judge Believes PTSD Vet Over A Supreme Court Attorney Ethics Vice-Chairman. A TRUE STORY. Please press the next link for details.

http://www.capveterans.com/americans_who_support_americas_veterans/id6.html

PTSD Veteran Support· War_Zone_Related_Stress_Reactions

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PTSDveteranSupport/

OUR MESSAGE IS SPREADING ACROSS OTHER HONORABLE VETERANS' WEBSITES AS WELL.

I can't thank everyone enough!!!

http://sabref15.com/corruption

PLEASE JOIN OUR NEW DELPHI MESSAGE BOARD AND BECOME PART OF THE DISCUSSIONS AND THE ANSWERS. It is open to veterans, their families, their friends and all appreciative Americans.

Delphi forums is a tremendous system of message boards. Hundreds of thousands of Americans visit them everyday.
If you want, I'll send you a list of some large, good groups.

~ WHY DO THESE TWO MARINES LOOK DRUNK... ~

Press the picture to link to the story.

It's time that PTSD veterans, their families, their friends and their supporters are heard.

PLEASE JOIN OUR PTSD VETERAN ADVOCACY GROUP

(It's free to join. The vets have already paid for it.) There are some details below: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Americans_Who_Support_PTSD_Veterans/

Americans Who Support PTSD Veterans

It seems that there is an important need for an advocacy group of Americans Who Support PTSD Veterans. All too often, PTSD Veterans are forgotten by the federal government.

There are NO current disability accommodations for the PTSD disabled, so many PTSD disabled veterans are never heard.

It's time that PTSD veterans, their families, their friends and their supporters are heard.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Americans_Who_Support_PTSD_Veterans/

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PTSD Veteran Support· War_Zone_Related_Stress_Reactions

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PTSDveteranSupport/

Everyone has an opinion about PTSD. Many people still call it "Milking the System..." Those 98,000, War on Terror veterans are suffering from PTSD according to the VA. The VA is not known to give away benefits, without at least a year of fighting and all types of medical documentation.

I can't answer why John McCain doesn't have PTSD. I can't explain why I have it.

Eighteen years ago, I was making $63,000 a year working as a project manager in the data processing department for a major health insurance company. At that point, I had one job and one wife. But I had moved my family about 10 times in 15 years. A buddy of mine went back to visit my CAP village in 1989, and I went out for the count.

Jack Cunningham ProudCapMarine

CAP stands for Combined Action Program (CAP). I was a proud, Lance Corporal in the United States Marines and served in CAP. You can read some of my CAP experiences at: http://www.CapVeterans.com

PLEASE PRESS THE SCALE OF JUSTICE TO LEARN DETAILS