Quoted from the above website.
Services, Education, and Rehabilitation for Veterans (SERV) Act
“In the 111th Congress, NADCP was honored to work with members of the House and Senate to produce the bipartisan SERV Act. The SERV Act would have provided funding for communities with existing Drug Courts that serve veterans or will establish new Veterans Treatment Courts. This critical legislation is the key to providing the resources necessary to expand Veterans Treatment Courts throughout the country.”
Veterans Treatment Court Mentor Court Program
“NADCP and its professional services branch, the National Drug Court Institute (NDCI), is proud to announce the formation of the new NDCI Veterans Treatment Courts Mentor Court Program. Developed in collaboration with the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Mentor Veterans Treatment Courts will play a significant role in Veterans Treatment Court training, technical assistance and research.” Learn more.
Veterans and local communities must become educated on this new legislation, similar to “Drug Courts.” Veterans often have special needs to be considered, and as a community we owe it to all veterans with combat related disabilities to provide treatment as a part of any criminal punishment handed down by our courts. Rather than sending our former soldiers to prison, considering military service, especially combat experience, is often a way to help rehabilitate and put an individual back on the right path to a healthy and productive civilian life. The mentor program referred to above is an excellent model to engage local citizens, especially veterans who can relate, to facilitate the process on behalf of another veteran accused of a crime. This “buddy” system can make a huge difference for the healthy recovery of a former soldier.
Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story
