By Jo Mathis
Legal News
Veterans who’ve been charged with a crime in Redford’s 17th Judicial District Court may now be assigned to a new Veteran’s Court designed to address problems commonly faced by those who’ve served in the military.
“This program will help us isolate those veterans onto a special docket, so that on that particular day there will be a team of people here ready to address the veterans,” explained 17th District Court Chief Judge Karen Khalil, who will oversee the Redford Veterans Court.
At a monthly review hearing, the veteran will be represented by a defense attorney who served in the U.S. Army.
Also present will be representatives from the benefits and medical divisions of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, who will help them with their specific needs, whether that’s employment, housing, substance abuse counseling, or mental health treatment.
“It’s going to be a wide-ranging program where we will work closely with them to try to get them back on track,” said Khalil, who came up with the idea for the court six months ago.
Veterans courts have been formed around the country because judges see the effects of war on returning military personnel and veterans, many of whom suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, homelessness, mental health issues, and substance abuse problems stemming from the trauma of war.
The results are encouraging, said Khalil. She noted that post-traumatic stress disorder gets worse if not treated.
“If somebody comes before you and they’re upset, you don’t know why they’re upset,” she said. “If they’re identified as a veteran, and say they served in the war in Iraq, then it makes you understand why they’re upset, why they had an outburst, why there was a fight. It gives you a perspective on why.”
The Redford Veterans Court is the fourth in the State of Michigan.
The others are in Detroit, East Lansing, and Novi, which held its second graduation ceremony this week and has served 41 veterans since it opened in January 2010.
Michigan has about 140 such therapeutic courts, including drug courts, mental health courts, and teen courts.
The point is to focus on the offender’s underlying social, medical and psychological problems that need to be treated to prevent recurring offenses.
Khalil began considering a veterans court last spring when she had a case involving a veteran that started around the same time she helped put together a mental health summit.
She got to know the veterans’ justice outreach coordinator for the Detroit V.A., and they worked on the case together.
That Marine was not working, barely functioning, and having all kinds of problems when she started him in the program last spring.
“Now that we’ve been working with the V.A., he’s doing much, much better,” said Khalil.
Khalil said that Vietnam vets are lost in the system because courts don’t ask if they’re veterans, and recurring periods of homelessness may be traced back to the effects of a war decades ago.
“So while we’re starting with the focus on the currently returning veterans, it really will be more far-reaching than that, and will help more people,” she said.
A dedication ceremony for the new Redford Veterans Court was held Thursday.
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