Explain veterans' courts as the most recent version of specialty court. How effective have these been?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers may vary.The most recent version of specialty court-veterans' courts-was launched in 2008 to address the complicated psychological and legal problems of members of the U.S. military who have returned from war. There are now dozens of such courts across the country.More than 2 million Americans have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, making these the largest deployments since the Vietnam War. Approximately one-third of them suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, depression, or other mental illness, and one-fifth are addicted to drugs or alcohol. Sadly, only about half of the veterans with PTSD or depression have sought help, and of those, only about half received satisfactory care. Given their training in the military to react immediately to any perceived threat, it is not surprising that thousands of returning veterans have reacted impulsively and violently in heated situations. Sometimes, as a result, they have been arrested and charged with serious criminal offenses, including child abuse, sexual assault, and homicide.In a typical veterans' court, a district attorney may opt to defer prosecution or offer a plea bargain to a reduced charge if it is clear that the offense was related to the veteran's disability and the veteran agrees to seek treatment. Veterans who plead guilty to a nonviolent felony or misdemeanor are teamed with volunteer veteran mentors who ensure that the offender adheres to a strict regimen of counseling, personalized rehabilitation programs, and court appearances. Judges may issue alternative sentences that require offenders to seek psychological treatment. By completing the required program, an individual may avoid going to prison. Whether these provisions should be made available to veterans charged with felonies is a matter of ongoing debate.There are yet very few studies of their effectiveness. The sparse data that exist suggest that offenders who are diverted to veterans' court are less likely to reoffend than those whose cases go through the traditional criminal justice system. A recent study included 86 veterans in an Ohio jail diversion and trauma recovery treatment court who were interviewed at baseline, and 6- and 12-months later to determine if the program led to improvements in jail recidivism, psychiatric symptoms, quality of life, and recovery. Results suggested that participants experienced significant improvement in various outcomes relative to baseline (PTSD, depression, substance abuse, overall functioning, emotional well-being, relationships with others, recovery status, social connectedness, family functioning, and sleep). However, without a control or comparison group, we do not know whether this improvement was significantly better than other approaches to processing participants in the criminal justice system.