Veterans suffering from war-related mental health issues will have another avenue if they get in trouble with the law.
The new court will allow veterans to plead guilty to felony crimes, and if they follow 12 to 18 months of treatment, they could receive a second chance.
"I couldn't be more proud as a judge,” said District Court Judge Mark Ashford. “This is probably the proudest I've ever been in 30 years on the bench to see collaboration addressing the needs of our veterans."
Once in place, the new veterans’ treatment court will be in the same room where young adults are given a second chance.
"You have to be responsive,” Ashford said. “Not every individual needs to go to prison or maybe a soft touch with probation. We need to serve society first.”
Combat veteran and attorney Mick Wagoner has been representing veterans for free since he retired from the Marine Corps.
The new court will help veterans heal and keep them out of prison,” Wagoner said. "This is not a get out at all,” Wagoner said. “It is a get healed because what we've seen is they were broke and they're going to continue to re-offend if we don't fix the underlying problem."
Treating invisible wounds of war through the court system, rather than punishing veterans for committing crimes, is going to help families and communities heal, Wagoner said.
"This program is literally going to save lives,” Wagoner said. “It's going to save lives. It's going to save families. It's going to put these veterans, who served their country, back into their community where they came from and effectively save their lives and get them back with their families. For them, it's going to be everything."
There will be a ceremony Friday morning to open the new veterans’ court.
It’s supported by a local, state and federal bipartisan effort to help veterans.
