(Image by John Walker: Arthur Casares, a homeless Desert Storm Army veteran admires his new pair of jeans during the Central Valley Veterans Stand Down in 2009 at VFW Post 8900 in Fresno.)
“War is hell.”
Most Americans who have never experienced the trauma of combat understandably cannot appreciate the full context or gravity of this statement. But to those with family, neighbors or friends returning from the battlefield with post-traumatic stress or other combat-related disorders, it most certainly hits home.
California is home to nearly 1 million veterans, with nearly 46,000 hailing from Fresno County. Many of our brave service men and women do pretty well and are able to readjust to civilian life upon return, but sadly, a good many do not.
According to a 2000 Bureau of Justice Statistics report, 81 percent of all justice-involved veterans had a substance-abuse problem prior to incarceration, 35 percent were suffering from alcohol dependency, 23 percent were homeless at some point in the prior year, 25 percent were identified as mentally ill, and the most heartbreaking statistic of all from the U.S. Veterans Administration: 22 veterans commit suicide in the United States every day.
Sadly, these and other circumstances lead to many veterans getting into trouble with the law. To the average person, the reaction might be “commit the crime, do the time,” but the roots of these problems run much deeper, and the lock-’em-up approach doesn’t help these individuals get back on the road to recovery.
That’s where veterans’ treatment courts are having an impact and changing lives. Started by Judge Robert Russell in New York in 2008, the program and process is simple: Veterans who commit low-level offenses are afforded the opportunity go through the veterans’ court program, normally an 18-month program that involves counseling, rehabilitation, education and community service.
The collaborative court typically involves the judge, court and veterans officials, community groups and families, all aimed at helping a veteran find a path to recovery. If veterans complete the program, judges will most likely expunge their court records; if they don’t, these people are placed back on the regular court docket.
Veterans’ treatment courts are working, with an average 98 percent success rate nationwide, lowered recidivism rates, and cost savings for counties and taxpayers.
To read Devon Mathis and B. Wayne Hughes Jr.'s article in the Opinions section, please visit: http://www.fresnobee.com/opini...article91362442.html
Read more here:
http://www.fresnobee.com/opini...nion/article91362442.
“War is hell.”
Most Americans who have never experienced the trauma of combat understandably cannot appreciate the full context or gravity of this statement. But to those with family, neighbors or friends returning from the battlefield with post-traumatic stress or other combat-related disorders, it most certainly hits home.
“War is hell.”
Most Americans who have never experienced the trauma of combat understandably cannot appreciate the full context or gravity of this statement. But to those with family, neighbors or friends returning from the battlefield with post-traumatic stress or other combat-related disorders, it most certainly
“War is hell.”
Most Americans who have never experienced the trauma of combat understandably cannot appreciate the full context or gravity of this statement. But to those with family, neighbors or friends returning from the battlefield with post-traumatic stress or other combat-related disorders, it most certainly hits home.
“War is hell.”
Most Americans who have never experienced the trauma of combat understandably cannot appreciate the full context or gravity of this statement. But to those with family, neighbors or friends returning from the battlefield with post-traumatic stress or other combat-related disorders, it most certainly hits home.
“War is hell.”
Most Americans who have never experienced the trauma of combat understandably cannot appreciate the full context or gravity of this statement. But to those with family, neighbors or friends returning from the battlefield with post-traumatic stress or other combat-related disorders, it most certainly hits home.
“War is hell.”
Most Americans who have never experienced the trauma of combat understandably cannot appreciate the full context or gravity of this statement. But to those with family, neighbors or friends returning from the battlefield with post-traumatic stress or other combat-related disorders, iCalifornia is home to nearly 1 million veterans, with nearly 46,000 hailing from Fresno County. Many of our brave service men and womeCalifornia is home to nearly 1 million veterans, with nearly 46,000 hailing from Fresno County. Many of our brave service men and women do pretty well and are able to readjust to civilian life upon retCalifornia is home to nearly 1 million veterans, with nearly 46,000 hailing from Fresno County. Many of our brave service men and women do pretty well and are able to readjust to civilian life upon return, but sadly, a good many do not.
urn, but sadly, a good many do not.
n do pretty well and are able to readjust to civilian life upon return, but sadly, a California is home to nearly 1 million veterans, with nearly 46,000 hailing from Fresno County. Many of our brave service men and women do pretty well and are able to readjust to civilian life upon return, but sadly, a good many do not.
good many do not.
t most certainly hits home.
hits home.
html#storylink=cpy
Comments (0)