LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County is joining court systems across the U.S. that are focusing on rehabilitating military veterans who have troubles with the law rather than putting them in jail.
The nation’s largest trial court system is launching its veterans court Monday. It will give participants the opportunity to participate in mental health and substance abuse treatment programs after they plead guilty to their crimes.
The Department of Justice estimates that veterans account for about 10 percent of the population with criminal records. There are now more than 30 courts nationwide that offer help to veterans. The first was launched in Buffalo, N.Y., in January 2008.
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4 Comments
Good Job LA!
Now let’s continue to make this program work via funding and tweaking/fine tuning…
September 13, 2010 at 10:27 am | | Report comment
Where is this court located in LA?
September 15, 2010 at 7:37 pm | | Report comment
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I for one like this idea. Its about time we really take a look at the Veteran’s problem. coming back after being exposed to things now of you that have never gone, can imagine. After being tough to be aggressive in everything by the military, and to come home and turn that off is very difficult. You train someone to look out for themselves, in difficult situations. The one’s that make it back have done this well. And stayed alive. now you want them to become part of society and just go along with what ever life dishes out and that is hard for them to do. So they relay on training and do the wrong thing in society. And they get arrested and that creates a on going record. which builds upon itself. That is the way most of the Veteran’s get into out justice system in the first place. So now after all the past lives these arrest records have ruined, Making in hard to acquire Jobs, Making it impossible to re join society on the basis of now having a record. After they obtain that record no matter what its for it builds until you are just another criminal in societies eyes, So that is what you become. It time to understand that they are coming in to the game from an altogether different place than that young man just out of college or leaving home for the first time. It this is now just another way for the justice department to garner funds to expand their police system then it a good thing.
November 14, 2010 at 7:54 pm | | Report comment