Justice Involved Veterans

Justice Involved Veterans web_admin
*NEW* Veteran Intercepts in the Criminal Justice System - Intercepts 4-5 [Webinar]
Veteran Intercepts in the Criminal Justice System - Intercepts 2-3
[Webinar]
Veteran Intercepts in the Criminal Justice System - Intercepts 0-1
[Webinar]
Veteran Intercepts in the Criminal Justice System
[Webinar]

Projects

Projects web_admin
  • Veterans Treatment Court Survey

    The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in partnership with the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), collaborated on a survey of Veterans Treatment Courts. The intent of this survey is to gather current data from existing Veterans Treatment Court Programs on performance and outcome measures. These measures are critical to justify programs and ensure long-term funding and program sustainability.

  • Barracks Behind Bars: In Veteran-Specific Housing Units, Veterans Help Veterans Help Themselves

    This paper is the second in the National Institute of Corrections justice-involved veteran compendium project. It illuminates programs in jails across the country and how justice involved veterans have been helped by them. It illustrates the design, development, implementation, and sustainment of initiatives taken by enlightened, pragmatic corrections officials who have set up veteran-specific housing—in pods, dorms, units, wings, or floors—and programming for military veterans.

  • National Veterans Treatment Court Enhancement Initiative

    This NIC publication tells the story of these veterans and the judges, advocates, and treatment professionals who are working with both passion and compassion to ensure a second chance for vets referred to the criminal justice system. The report is based on a series of interviews and personal observations from key professionals intimately involved in the founding and operation of these courts. In this publication, they relay how veterans treatment courts are “the right thing to do” for justice-involved veterans who commit certain crimes associated with the lingering legacy of their wartime experiences.

  • Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance for Vets Who Have Lost Their Way [Internet Broadcast]

    This six-segment program on justice-involved veterans, highlights the lifesaving role being played by veterans treatment courts (VTCs) across the country.

  • VICTOR - Veteran Informed Care Training On Responsivity

    NIC partnered with the Center for Court Innovation out of New York to develop a curriculum that focused on the responsivity issues of justice-involved veterans; looking at military culture, service-related trauma, difficulties of transitioning from military to civilian life, and building basic skills for staff to more effectively manage the justice-involved veterans on their caseloads.

  • Veterans Compendium Project

    NIC is looking to extend the veterans treatment court white paper project to include more of the continuum of criminal justice—from arrest to local jail, and then on the backend of the criminal justice system with prison and reentry. NIC's next project focused on the promising and innovative practices in local jails and state prisons focusing on justice-involved veterans; how the Veterans Administration interacts with both settings, works with justice-involved veterans, assists with benefits, continuity of care, and links to services (e.g., treatment, housing, etc.).

  • Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance For Vets Who Have Lost Their Way [Webinar May-2016]

    This live webinar is an overview and introduction to NIC's publication: Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance For Vets Who Have Lost Their Way

Veterans Treatment Court Survey

Veterans Treatment Court Survey web_admin
Cover of the Veterans Treatment Court Survey

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in partnership with the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), collaborated on a survey of Veterans Treatment Courts. It is critical for the success of NIC, our federal partners, and the field to foster collaborative relationships and to share information with each other in order to make informed decisions about policy and practice, and to develop best practices.

We are asking for your assistance to help us understand how Veterans Treatment Courts (VTC) across the country are documenting their effectiveness. For justice-involved veterans, VTC’s are providing a pathway to recovery so that they can be restored to functioning and contributing members of society. VTC’s provide hope, restore families, and save lives. The first VTC, founded in 2008 in Buffalo, New York, has inspired the creation of more than 220 similar courts - both large and small- across the country. Hundreds more are in various stages of planning and implementation. As VTC’s are still being developed, we don’t know a great deal about them.

If you are the key person in your VTC program who develops and reports on metrics and progress with your program, please complete this survey. If you are not that person, but know who it, please provide their contact information so we can forward the survey to the appropriate individual.

About the Survey: The intent of this survey is to gather current data from existing Veterans Treatment Court Programs on performance and outcome measures. These measures are critical to justify programs and ensure long-term funding and program sustainability. This information would be used for the following:

  • Identify standard measures being utilized across the country and make this information available to the field as a potential resource;
  • Demonstrate the success of Veterans Treatment Courts as an effective intervention and alternative to incarceration; and
  • Help inform our future work for Veterans specific initiatives.

As part of the survey process, we plan to have inclusive e-mail back and forth dialogue with participants based on input from this initial survey to hone in on successful practices, standard measures and findings of benefit for Veterans. We plan to share findings from this survey, and any new questions that emerge, with all the responding participants. We will also share draft and final reports with participants also so you can glean benefits from this work for your VTCs. We look forward to your survey responses and hope you and your colleagues share your experiences and thoughts with us.

Download the Treatment Court Survey

Mouse Over the Document and Scroll

Barracks Behind Bars: In Veteran-Specific Housing Units, Veterans Help Veterans Help Themselves

Barracks Behind Bars: In Veteran-Specific Housing Units, Veterans Help Veterans Help Themselves web_admin

This paper is the second in the National Institute of Corrections justice-involved veteran compendium project. It illuminates programs in jails across the country and how justice involved veterans have been helped by them. It illustrates the design, development, implementation, and sustainment of initiatives taken by enlightened, pragmatic corrections officials who have set up veteran-specific housing—in pods, dorms, units, wings, or floors—and programming for military veterans.

Barracks Behind Bars introduces several of the facilities and the men and women whose vision is paying off with reportedly fewer behavioral problems and incidents of violence by incarcerated veterans. This may contribute to a less stressful, safer environment for correctional personnel and facilitates opportunities for assistance from the Veterans Justice Outreach specialists of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, personnel from state and county departments, and volunteers from community and veterans organizations. This white paper shares the views of jail administrators, judges, and formerly incarcerated veterans – each of whom have stories to tell – in their own words.

"At one time in their lives, these men took an oath to protect us. If they were willing to lay themselves on the line for us, we owe them this much."

From Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, Middlesex County House of Corrections, HUMV

"Prisons and jails are starting to recognize that bringing together veterans in a confined setting benefits discipline and order."

From Evan Seamon, Major, Army Reserve and advisor to veterans at the Harvard Veterans Legal Clinic

Download the Barracks Behind Bars PDF

To request physical copies of Barracks Behind Bars please contact the NIC Information Center using the helpdesk form.

National Veterans Treatment Court Enhancement Initiative

National Veterans Treatment Court Enhancement Initiative web_admin

Veterans treatment courts respond to the unique circumstances of veterans entering the justice system. The veterans treatment court first emerged in the mid-2000s. As of this writing, there are more than 600 in the country with scores more being planned. The rapid proliferation of veterans treatment courts has created a heightened need for evidence-based tools to identify the criminogenic risks and clinical needs of court-involved veterans and service members and to promote best practices such as multidisciplinary case planning and client monitoring. Research has consistently shown that clinical interventions are most effective when they are based on risk-need-responsivity principles, which hold that the type and intensity of treatment and supervision services should be proportional to an offender's risk of re-offending and should target their specific criminogenic needs. This project creates, pilots, and validates the first specialized risk-need assessment and case planning tools for veterans treatment courts.

The National Institute of Corrections and the Bureau of Justice Assistance originally partnered with the Center for Court Innovation to develop the first set of specialized screening, assessment, and case planning tools for Veterans Treatment Courts. NIC and BJA then partnered with American University to further advance the project by converting all the tools and training to a virtual and automated platform and then pilot and revise the tools and training and technical assistance curriculum. BJA has partnered with American University to finalize the tools and now validate them in preparation for broad dissemination. By incorporating the latest research on trauma, substance use disorders, and other issues affecting veterans, these tools are designed to help veterans treatment courts meet the special needs of justice-involved veterans.

The Veterans Treatment Court Enhancement Initiative produced three tools:

  1. Short screener: A short pre-adjudication screening tool will identify veterans as they enter the justice system and measure their risk of re-offending. This tool will help justice system officials identify suitable candidates for veterans treatment court and refer them for a full assessment.
  2. Comprehensive risk-need assessment: A comprehensive risk-need assessment tool will enable veterans treatment court staff to learn more about individuals’ criminogenic risks and needs. This information will help veterans treatment courts confirm participant eligibility and understand each participant’s risk-need profile for case planning purposes.
  3. Case planning protocol: A set of case planning guidelines will help veterans treatment courts develop individualized supervision and case plans for each participant based on their risk-need profiles.

AU Pilot Sites FY2020

  • Rochester, New York
  • Salt Lake City, Utah
  • San Francisco, California
  • Winston-Salem, North Carolina

AU Pilot Sites FY2021

  • Fairfax County Veterans Treatment Court, Virginia
  • Hillsborough County Veterans Treatment Court, Florida
  • King County Regional Veterans Court, Washington
  • Las Vegas Justice Court Veterans Treatment Court, Nevada
  • Maine Veterans Treatment Court, Maine
  • Rhode Island Veterans Treatment Court, Rhode Island
  • Salt Lake City, Utah
  • San Francisco Treatment Court, California
  • Washington County, Oregon

American University will be looking to add multiple sites in FY2023.

If interested please contact, Dr. Julie Baldwin at jbaldwin@american.edu

 

Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance for Vets Who Have Lost Their Way (White Paper)

Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance for Vets Who Have Lost Their Way (White Paper) web_admin
Veterans Treatment Courts Cover

This NIC publication, officially released during a live webinar event on May 17, 2016, is now available.

Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance for Vets Who Have Lost Their Way tells the story of these veterans and the judges, advocates, and treatment professionals who are working with both passion and compassion to ensure a second chance for vets referred to the criminal justice system. The report is based on a series of interviews and personal observations from key professionals intimately involved in the founding and operation of these courts. In this publication, they relay how veterans treatment courts are “the right thing to do” for justice-involved veterans who commit certain crimes associated with the lingering legacy of their wartime experiences.

Court staff and graduates of veterans treatment court programs—which use a carrot-and-stick approach to rehabilitate rather than overtly punish—describe, in often exquisite detail, what their roles are and how they have come to embrace the concept of these courts. 

“What a wonderful way to tell the story! [A Second Chance for Veterans Who Have Lost Their Way] is a great philosophical primer to help shift conventional criminal justice mindsets from normal 'business as usual' practices to the much more effective therapeutic model of a Veterans Treatment Court. It is definitely a blueprint for establishing and maintaining Veterans Courts in any jurisdiction! I wish I had this on my desk when we began our journey to establish our court. It would have eliminated a lot of trial and error.

I highly recommend this to anyone who is thinking about setting up a Veterans Court and also to those folks who already have one in place as the information in there can be of great assistance in maintaining the program.”

From Judge Vance W. Peterson, Spokane County District Court, Veterans Court:

View A Second Chance on NIC's main website  

To request physical copies of A Second Chance please contact the NIC Information Center.  

Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance for Vets Who Have Lost Their Way [Internet Broadcast]

Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance for Vets Who Have Lost Their Way [Internet Broadcast] web_admin
cover of Veterans Treatment Courts Participant Guide

This program on justice-involved veterans, highlights the lifesaving role being played by veterans treatment courts (VTCs) across the country.

From WWII through the continuing global war on terror, there are approximately 21.5 million veterans in the U.S. today. So many of these men, and increasingly women, return home damaged mentally and physically from their time in service. These wounds often contribute to their involvement in the criminal justice system. As a result, veterans are overrepresented in our jails and prisons.

For these justice-involved vets, Veterans Treatment Courts are providing a pathway to recovery so that they can be restored to functioning and contributing members of society.

Veterans Treatment Courts, or VTCs, provide hope, restore families and save lives. The first VTC, founded in 2008 in Buffalo, New York, has inspired the creation of more than 300 courts of similar nature in jurisdictions, both large and small, across the country. Hundreds more are in various stages of planning and implementation.

These courts have the support of the communities they serve, as well as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and local service providing agencies. Critical to the success of VTCs are veterans who volunteer to be trained and serve as mentors to justice-involved veterans.

This training program will: Introduce Veterans Treatment Courts as an effective intervention and an alternative to incarceration for justice-involved veterans; Identify the unique issues which contribute to veterans’ involvement in the criminal justice system at the local, state and federal levels; Highlight the inception of Veterans Treatment Courts and the role they play in improving public safety, reducing recidivism, saving taxpayer dollars and, most importantly, restoring the lives of those who have served our country; Showcase model Veterans Treatment Court Programs, including Veterans Peer Mentor Programs; Demonstrate how to implement and sustain an effective VTC, including the vital role of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Veteran Peer Mentors; and Provide resources and next steps for jurisdictions interested in implementing a Veterans Treatment Court or looking to improve an existing program.

Click Here to view Internet Broadcast on NIC's main website  

VICTOR - Veteran Informed Care Training On Responsivity

VICTOR - Veteran Informed Care Training On Responsivity web_admin

Curriculum Development for  
Veteran Informed Care Training on Responsivity (VICTOR)

NIC partnered with the Center for Court Innovation out of New York to develop a curriculum that focused on the responsivity issues of justice-involved veterans; looking at military culture, service-related trauma, difficulties of transitioning from military to civilian life, and building basic skills for staff to more effectively manage the justice-involved veterans on their caseloads. NIC is now partnering with American University to pilot test the training program before making it available to the field.

The core skills would include: active listening, effective use of reinforcement, effective use of disapproval (with and without punishment), and effective use of authority. Ultimately, the goal is to improve outcomes for justice-involved veterans by increasing the skills of the professionals who work with veterans.

Course Description

The Veteran-Informed Care Training on Responsivity (VICTOR) is a training curriculum designed for criminal justice practitioners to gain specialized knowledge and skills for working with veterans. Data consistently shows that court based interventions and programs are most effective when practitioners have specialized training. Accordingly, VICTOR is designed to help practitioners understand the unique needs of veterans and their underlying criminogenic risk factors. The VICTOR curriculum is an educational resource on responsivity issues related to working with justice-involved veterans.

There are approximately 23 million veterans living in the United States, representing over seven percent of the U.S. population. Many active-duty soldiers return home with chronic nightmares, flashbacks, and emotional hypersensitivity—and many veterans are diagnosed with PTSD upon return. Countless others suffer daily from the side effects of trauma, yet do not come to the attention of mental health or medical providers.

Due to the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States is facing an additional influx of veterans who return home only to face new battles with mental illness, substance abuse, intimate partner violence, homelessness, and despair. The over two million U.S. troops deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq display an incidence of psychological damage significantly higher than the incidence of physical injuries. Approximately one out of six veterans returning from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq has a substance use disorder, and one in five has symptoms of a mental health disorder or cognitive impairment. By 2008, 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans had been diagnosed with depression or PTSD, both afflictions that have been shown to increase the likelihood of substance abuse and violent behavior. 

As in the general population, veterans experiencing mental health disorders or substance abuse problems frequently exhibit behavioral symptoms that place them at risk for justice system involvement. In 2008, research on hospitalized veterans found that alcohol and drug problems appeared to account for much of the risk of incarceration among this population and an estimated 60 percent of the 140,000 veterans in prison have a substance abuse problem. A study by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2004 found that nearly one in ten inmates in U.S. jails had prior military service.

The criminal justice system and the professionals who work within it must be responsive to the needs of veterans who come through the nation’s police stations, courthouses, and jails. Veterans treatment courts are one popular avenue for addressing the needs of veterans in the criminal justice system. However, there are other types of programs, skills, and approaches which can help courthouses and practitioners practice “veteran-informed care.” The course will cover these programs, skills, and approaches so that practitioners can be more responsive to the needs of veterans in the criminal justice system.

Course Objectives

After completing this training, you will be able to:

  • understand the difference between explicit vs. implicit military culture;
  • understand how veteran and military culture may impact a veteran’s experience and behavior in the courtroom setting;
  • understand the basics of risk, need, and responsivity;
  • demonstrate active listening skills;
  • understand the landscape of services available for veterans; and
  • understand how the confluence of mental health, substance use, and military experience may lead to interactions with the criminal justice system.

The curriculum is divided into five substantive modules, covering the following topics:

  1. Military and Veteran Culture.   
    Module 1 provides information and insight into military and veteran culture. Lesson 1: Military Culture contains an overview of military structure, service roles, and major aspects of military culture. Lesson 2: Veteran Culture asks you to consider the question, who is a veteran? Once you have explored the criteria used to determine veteran status, participants will learn how the challenges involved in the transition from the military back to civilian life leads some veterans to become justice-involved.
  2. Risk Assessment.   
    In Lesson 1: Risk, Need, and Responsivity, you learn how evidence-based screening and assessment is used to differentiate offenders according to risk level and needs. You will be introduced to the risk-need-responsivity model of offender rehabilitation and deepen your understanding of this model through independent study, group discussions, and activities. In Lesson 2: Risk Assessment for Veterans, participants learn how risk assessment can be utilized specifically with the justice-involved veteran population.
  3. Mental Health and Substance Use.   
    Module 3 introduces the ways in which mental health and substance use disorders affects veterans, including the context in which they experience trauma, common symptoms of mental health disorders, and treatment approaches. Lesson 1: Mental Health, gives participants an overview of mental health issues prevalent in justice-involved veteran populations, and related treatment approaches. Lesson 2: Substance Use, informs participants about common substance use disorders amongst veterans, and discusses the relationship between substance use and mental health.
  4. Navigating Veterans’ Resources.   
    Module 4 provides guidance on navigating the variety of important benefits and services available to veterans and to their families from the Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies. Lesson 1: Navigating the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs discusses the source of the most well-known veterans’ benefits, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs. Lesson 2: Other Veterans Resources identifies and explains useful resources outside the federal VA, including state departments of veterans affairs, community-based organizations, and the so-called Big Six veteran service organizations.
  5. Responsivity and Justice-Involved Veterans.   
    In Lesson 1: Case Management, you will receive an overview of case management, including the functions and tasks of the case manager, and discover how case management can improve outcomes for justice-involved veterans. In Lesson 2: Responsivity in the Criminal Justice System, participants discuss several aspects of responsivity in the criminal justice system: veterans treatment courts, procedural justice, domestic violence issues, and corrections-based programming. Lesson 2 also introduces the sequential intercept model for justice-involved veterans and explains how this model can help practitioners identify opportunities for linkage to services, and prevent further involvement in the criminal justice system.

NIC Veterans Initiatives and Compendium Project

NIC Veterans Initiatives and Compendium Project web_admin

As a center of learning, innovation and leadership that shapes and advances correctional practice and public policy, the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) devotes a portion of its focus to the critical needs of justice-involved veterans.

Background

The National Institute of Corrections first veteran-specific project was a collaborative effort with author Bernard Edelman of Vietnam Veterans of America to develop a white paper on Veterans Treatment Courts (VTCs). This publication served as a how-to guide for jurisdictions looking to implement or improve upon an existing program and to bring awareness to the unique issues of justice-involved veterans. Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance for Vets Who Have Lost Their Way and its executive summary was officially released in a live webinar event on May 17, 2016. This publication served as a platform for all NIC veteran-specific initiatives, including a live national broadcast bearing the same name as the publication.

In December 2016, the National Institute of Corrections officially established the Justice-Involved Veterans Network (JIVN). The JIVN is a cross-divisional effort among the community services, jails, and prisons divisions of the National Institute of Corrections in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The network is inclusive of the continuum of criminal justice that includes leaders at the federal, state, and county levels. Ultimately, the network looks to improve safety for law enforcement, community supervision officers, and the public while improving outcomes for veterans throughout the criminal justice system.

About the Veterans Compendium Project

NIC is looking to extend the veterans treatment court white paper project to include more of the continuum of criminal justice—from arrest to local jail, and then on the backend of the criminal justice system with prison and reentry. NIC's next project focused on the promising and innovative practices in local jails and state prisons focusing on justice-involved veterans; how the Veterans Administration interacts with both settings, works with justice-involved veterans, assists with benefits, continuity of care, and links to services (e.g., treatment, housing, etc.).

Barracks Behind Bars: In Veteran-Specific Housing Units, Veterans Help Veterans Help Themselves was officially released on May 17, 2018 during a live event held at the Library of Congress in anticipation of and in support of PTSD Awareness Month. The publication also includes the sequential intercept model adapted to the veteran population with resources for each intercept. The sequential intercept model was developed by Mark Munetz, MD, and Patricia A. Griffin, Ph.D., in conjunction with the GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation, a division of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The model provides a conceptual framework for communities to organize targeted strategies for justice-involved individuals with behavioral health disorders.

NIC worked collaboratively with SAMHSA, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and members of the Justice-Involved Veterans Network to adapt the model for the justice-involved veterans population.

NIC’s next phase of the veteran compendium project will focus on law enforcement practices that improve outcomes for veterans in crisis in the community. This white paper will also address specialized training for law enforcement officers around veteran specific issues, including military culture and mental health issues relating to military service. The project team completed 4 site visits, including Raleigh, North Carolina, New Castle County, Delaware; Dayton, Ohio; and Salt Lake City, Utah. A first draft of the publication was received on May 15, 2018. NIC and project members will begin the editing process and anticipates an FY19 release.

We identify common themes while at the same time respecting the nuances of each of the sites featured in the publications. We gather information through interviews with corrections personnel, law enforcement, veterans/inmates, community members, and the VA Specialists (Veterans Justice Outreach and Health Care for Reentry Veterans) who work with justice-involved veterans throughout the continuum of justice.

VICTOR

VICTOR web_admin

Click on an intercept in the image to see that intercept or use the links below:

Intercept 0

Intercept 0 web_admin

Healthcare Enrollment Intercepts in the Criminal Justice System
Sample Decision Points

Opportunities for Eligibility Determination and Enrollment

  • Crisis teams enroll or refer for enrollment in community mental health and or VA health services
  • Hospital enrolls (VA or Community)
  • Divert from CJ system make referral
  • Transitional housing or residential treatment
  • Assist with outpatient treatment/services, suicide prevention

Intercept 1

Intercept 1 web_admin

Intercept 2

Intercept 2 web_admin

Healthcare Enrollment Intercepts in the Criminal Justice System
Sample Decision Points

Opportunities for Eligibility Determination and Enrollment

  • Public Defender or Prosecutor refers for assessment and VTC eligibility
  • Correctional Officer determines Veteran status; referral to mission specific housing if appropriate; and referral to VJO/VA for benefits/appointment upon release
  • VJO and HCRV outreach to identify Veterans
  • Deferred Prosecution Agreements/Diversion

Intercept 3

Intercept 3 web_admin

Healthcare Enrollment Intercepts in the Criminal Justice System
Sample Decision Points

Opportunities for Eligibility Determination and Enrollment

  • VJO and HCRV outreach to identify Veterans
  • Public Defender or Prosecutor refers for VTC evaluation
  • VTC clinician/probation assesses/refers to VTC/VA VJO specialist
  • Jail intake determines eligibility for veteran/mission specific housing while awaiting release or referral to VTC program

Intercept 4

Intercept 4 web_admin

Healthcare Enrollment Intercepts in the Criminal Justice System
Sample Decision Points

Opportunities for Eligibility Determination and Enrollment

  • DOC/Jail intake determines eligibility/engages VA HCRV/VJO specialists
  • VJO/HCRV outreach to identify Veterans
  • DOC/Jail discharge planners determine eligibility/enrolls VA HCRV/VJO specialists
  • Parole/probation determines eligibility/enrolls prior to discharge
  • Transitional Community Services (not on supervision)

Intercept 5

Intercept 5 web_admin

Healthcare Enrollment Intercepts in the Criminal Justice System
Sample Decision Points

Opportunities for Eligibility Determination and Enrollment

  • Transitional/halfway houses enroll in healthcare
  • Parole/probation enroll in healthcare prior to discharge
  • VA HCRV/VJO specialist enrolls in VA healthcare benefits/community treatment

Media

Media web_admin

Video Media

Video Media
web_admin
  • Evan Seamone speaking at The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress on May 17, 2018

  • Jake Tapper, Chief Washington Correspondent, CNN speaking at the Library of Congress

  • Officer Guider and Nick Blalock from the PTSD panel at the Library of Congress

  • Honorable Judge Russell talks about the creation of the very first Veterans Treatment Court

  • On May 24, 2017 a panel of renowned experts speak on the effects of PTSD on veterans and how the Veterans Treatment Courts (VTC) support those who have run afoul of the law by proving appropriate treatment.

     
  • Live Broadcast Videos

    These videos are from the National Institute of Corrections live broadcast "Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance for Vets Who Have Lost Their Way." The program highlights the lifesaving role being played by veterans treatment courts (VTCs) across the country.

    You may download these .mp4 videos to promote your own Veterans Treatment Court by clicking the link below the videos. (Note: Depending on your Browser, you may need to right-click the link and choose save)

    Gary Sinise, Actor and Advocate, Provides an introduction to the NIC broadcast "A Second Chance for Vets Who Have Lost Their Way."

       
      Download the Gary-Sinise video

    Judges

    Judges from Veterans Treatment Courts describe their experience presiding over a veterans treatment court, and the transformation they see in the veterans lives who participate in the program.

      Download the Judges-Clip video

    Mentors

    Mentors describe their role in helping veterans who participate in veterans treatment court programs.

      Download the Mentors video

    Judge Peterson

    Judge Vance Peterson, Veterans Treatment Court Judge, Spokane County District Court, discusses how they started a program.

      Download the Spokane video

    Veterans

    Veterans discuss PTSD and TBI and their struggles to adjust to civilian life, and how veterans treatment courts helped them restore their lives.

      Download the Struggles video

    Tommy Reiman, Part 1

    Tommy Rieman describes how PTSD effected his life.

      Download the first Tommy Rieman video

    Tommy Reiman, Part 2

    Tommy Rieman describes how a veterans treatment court saved his life.

      Download the second Tommy Rieman video

Webinars

Webinars
web_admin

Understanding Veteran-Specific Resources Available to Both Veterans and Criminal Justice Agencies

See the resources

  • Crisis Intervention Teams/Law Enforcement Military Liaisons (Veterans)

    On November 19, 2020, at the Ohio’s Supreme Court’s 6th Annual Veterans Summit “Lean Forward: Answering the Call of Veterans in Crisis,” the National Institute of Corrections led a panel discussion titled “Crisis Intervention Teams/Law Enforcement Military Liaisons.” This session discussed veterans in crisis who interact with law enforcement officers from a national perspective along with Ohio law enforcement agencies that have or are in the process of developing veterans or crisis response teams and other measures to deal with veterans in crisis.

  • Veterans Treatment Courts: A Second Chance For Vets Who Have Lost Their Way Webinar May-2016

Broadcasts

Broadcasts
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Audio Media

Audio Media
web_admin

Audio Books

Justice-Involved Veterans Compendium Project

Click cover to play the audio

Audio Media

  • Randall Liberty

    Randall Liberty

    Randall Liberty enlisted in the United States Army in 1982 to be a military policeman. He’s been in law enforcement now for 37 years. Between his time on active duty (in the Reserves and National Guard), at the sheriff’s office, and for the past 3 years as warden at Maine State Prison, he’s brought to every position he’s held a purpose-driven approach to rehabilitate rather than punish. He tries to find ways to create programs that help address the underlying issues facing the offenders he’s been charged with supervising in the criminal justice system and returning them to their communities as responsible citizens. Liberty, 54, takes pride in his myriad roles as veteran, husband, father, and advocate for veterans.

    Listen to Randall Liberty:

  • Ryan Yoder

    Ryan Yoder

    After working his way through the ranks at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PA DOC), Ryan Yoder said that an assignment as a facility veterans coordinator changed his life. As a Marine Corps combat veteran, Yoder called it one of the most fulfilling experiences he has ever had. Recognizing Yoder’s high energy, commitment, and passion, PA DOC Secretary John Wetzel promoted him to serve as the statewide veterans coordinator as part of an effort to prioritize veterans services. For Yoder, working to restore dignity and hope for veterans in prison isn’t just a job. It’s personal. He was interviewed by Nick Stefanovic.

    Listen to Ryan Yoder:

  • Ron Self

    Ron Self

    Ron Self, former Inmate, San Quentin State Prison, Marine Corps Veteran and Founder of "Veterans Healing Veterans from the Inside Out"

    Listen to Ron Self:

  • Dan Simmons

    Dan Simmons

    Dan Simmons, inmate at Stafford Creek Corrections Center, and US Air Force veteran, was a dog handler while active duty, discusses the rewards of training dogs while serving time and having the ability to set and achieve goals.

    Listen to Dan Simmons:

Resources

Resources web_admin

Criminal Justice Professionals

Criminal Justice Professionals web_admin

Veterans

Veterans web_admin

This website provides information for veterans who have issues readjusting to society and who are in a state of mental or emotional confusion and upset, and who may have suicidal thoughts. Call the veterans crisis line, toll-free, at: 1-800-273-8255, then press 1.

Veterans Crisis Line
https://veteranscrisisline.net/

The toll-free number to reach the VA is 1-800-827-1000.  Other helpful VA numbers include:

2017 Directory

Veterans And Military Service Organizations And State Directors Of Veterans Affairs

Additional Resources

Additional Resources web_admin
Online Professional Development for Veteran Mentors Now Available

NADCP's Justice for Vets, in partnership with PsychArmor, has created a library of online modules to provide training on the critical fundamentals necessary to incorporate mentoring into a veteran's treatment court program. These short modules cover the core components of effective mentoring and are intended for veteran mentors, mentor coordinators, and veterans treatment court staff of any experience level.

Four courses for veteran mentors are available today, with more coming soon!

Available courses:

  • What is a veteran's treatment court?
  • Roll of a veteran mentor
  • Communication skills
  • And confidentiality
A National Study of Veterans Treatment Court Participants: Who Benefits and Who Recidivates

Although there are now over 400 veterans treatment courts (VTCs) in the country, there have been few studies on participant outcomes in functional domains. Using national data on 7931 veterans in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Justice Outreach program across 115 VA sites who entered a VTC from 2011 to 2015, we examined the housing, employment, income, and criminal justice outcomes of VTC participants; and identified veteran characteristics predictive of outcomes. VTC participants spent an average of nearly a year in the program and 14% experienced a new incarceration. From program admission to exit, 10% more participants were in their own housing, 12% more were receiving VA benefits, but only 1% more were employed. Controlling for background characteristics, a history of incarceration predicted poor criminal justice, housing, and employment outcomes. Participants with property offenses or probation/parole violations and those with substance use disorders were more likely to experience a new incarceration. Participants with more mental health problems were more likely to be receiving VA benefits and less likely to be employed at program exit. Together, these findings highlight the importance of proper substance abuse treatment as well as employment services for VTC participants so that they can benefit from the diversion process.

Tsai, Jack et al. “A National Study of Veterans Treatment Court Participants: Who Benefits and Who Recidivates.” Administration and policy in mental health45.2 (2018): 236–244. PMC. Web. 16 Mar. 2018.

American Institute of Stress' Combat Stress publication

This issue presents information by key personnel from across the nation who have helped to build and to currently staff Veterans Treatment Courts (VTCs). These courts have been growing in number and locations across the United States since 2008, yet remain largely unknown as an alternative way for veterans whom have been charged with non-capital crimes and who agree to undergo treatment in lieu of incarceration. They offer veterans charged with crimes a second chance, a full compliment of resources on their path to recovery, support teams, and a means for of having their charges removed so they may resume their place and respect within their communities.

Within this issue are the impassioned voices of long-time veteran advocates who have worked tirelessly in seeking justice in our courts these include attorneys, judges, mentors, and nonprofits. Each describe their history of service to veterans their involvement in veteran treatment courts, and the need for expansion of community understanding and involvement.

Veterans Treatment Courts: 2015 Survey Results

“Veterans Treatment Courts are relatively new,” said Kim Ball, Director of JPO. “We hope that this report, the most in-depth on this topic to-date, will help courts continue to improve and meet best practice standards.” (Nov. 17, 2016) 

This letter includes:

  • Links to the 2015 Survey Results
  • A link to a 2008 Study
  • Links to the webinar about the report
  • and more

Library of Congress

Library of Congress web_admin

Veterans History Project

The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.

Events

The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress

The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress, in collaboration with the National Institute of Corrections, hosted a panel discussion on the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on veterans and how to support those who have run afoul of the law by providing appropriate treatment. The panel of experts, in honor of Memorial Day and in anticipation of National PTSD Awareness Month, was held on Thursday, May 17, 2018.

Law Enforcement to Assist PTSD-Afflicted Veterans in Crisis

In collaboration with the Library of Congress, the National Institute of Corrections hosted a live panel on May 15, 2019. Listen to the panel of experts as they discuss the formation of Veterans Response Teams: law enforcement professionals trained to respond to situations involving veterans in crisis. Learn how cities across America have saved lives, minimized hostile situations, and gotten vets with PTSD the treatment they need by implementing these teams. Moderated by Jonathan Elias, from WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C.

On Wednesday, May 24, 2017, a panel of renowned experts spoke on the effects of PTSD on veterans and how the Veterans Treatment Courts (VTC) support those who have run afoul of the law by proving appropriate treatment. The panel, in honor of Memorial Day and in anticipation of National PTSD Awareness Month, will be held in room 119 on the first floor of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C. Tickets are not needed but RSVP is required.

JIV Facilities Map

JIV Facilities Map web_admin

This map shows Prisons and Jails with Dorms for Veterans

Justice Involved Veterans Network

Justice Involved Veterans Network web_admin
JIVN Working Group Report, June 2016

The Vision for the Network

Our Justice-Involved Veterans Network has:

  • Identified processes and best practices
  • Created public awareness on justice-involve issues
  • Thereby Improving the lives of justice-involved veterans

The Mission as a Network

We are a network of community, local, state, and federal partners Identifying and developing innovative and holistic approaches That assist justice-involved veterans.

Greg Crawford - Justice Involved Veterans Network

Justice-Involved Veterans Network Membership

Justice-Involved Veterans Network Membership web_admin

Network Members:

  • Basinger, James - Dept Commissioner, Indiana DOC
  • Bell, Gary - Operations Manager, Facility Operations
  • Blue-Howells, Jessica - Deputy National Director, Veterans Justice Programs
  • Booth, Cindy - Reentry and Release Administrator
  • Burek, Elizabeth - VTC Coordinator
  • Ceballos, Patricia - Reentry Services Manager, San Diego Sheriff's Office
  • Clark, Sean - National Director VJP
  • Charlier, Jac - Executive Director TASC-CHJ, Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative
  • Darcy, John - Guidance Specialist for Veterans Services
  • Eakin, Danny - Administrator, Office of Veteran Policy and Programs, Ohio Department of Veterans Services
  • France, Duane - Co-Director, SMVF TA Center
  • Gray, Cynthia - Justice Involved Veterans Program Manager
  • Harris, Ph.D., Blake - Director, Veterans Mental Health Department, Texas Veterans Commission
  • Harrison, Donna - Criminal Justice Director, Virginia Department of Veterans Services
  • Jackson, Michael - VTC Judge
  • Keesling, Tim     
  • Muhammad, Malik - Orange County Corrections, FL
  • Owens, Stacey - Military and Veterans Affairs Liaison/SAMHSA
  • Rosenthal, Joel - National Training Director, Justice Programs (Retired)
  • Seamone, Evan - Veterans and Service Members Legal Clinic
  • Seward, Col. Jim - Council on Criminal Justice/Veterans Justice Project
  • Self, Ron - Director of Veterans Healing Veterans from the Inside Out
  • Skinner, James - Sheriff, Collin County Texas
  • Stewart, Katie - National Coordinator VJO
  • Tate, Butch - Chief Counsel, NADCP/Justice for Vets
  • Watson, Patricia - Psychologist, NCPTSD, VA
  • Williams, Terri - Justice Involved Veteran Program Manager

National Institute of Corrections:

  • Hadnot, Jeff - Chief, Academy Division
  • Richards, Scott - Correctional Program Specialist, Prisons Division
  • Watson, Glenn - Correctional Program Specialist, Jails Division

Network Meeting Documents

Network Meeting Documents web_admin

Contact NIC's JIV staff

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