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CHARLESTON -- West Virginia has joined states supporting the expansion of specialized court services for veterans.
Attorneys general from 41 states sent a letter to leaders in the U.S. Senate encouraging the adoption of the Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2019, House Resolution 886, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said.
The act would establish a veteran treatment court program in the U.S. Department of Justice to provide grants and technical assistance to state, local and tribal courts that implement such courts.
Veteran Treatment Courts are diversionary processes pairing veterans with mentors to address substance abuse and mental health issues and assist them with obtaining U.S. Veterans Administration benefits that can help them with treatment and employment.
"We have seen too many cases in our courts where veterans commit a criminal offense, often minor or non-violent, which can be attributed in part to a service or combat related injury, mental health problem or substance abuse," the letter said. "Sadly, in many cases, veterans are not properly identified, and they become lost in the criminal justice system without the necessary help, medical treatment and therapy they are entitled to or deserve. This encourages a cycle of recidivism, hopelessness, non-recovery and sometimes serious injury or death."
More than 450 such courts have been established in states and territories, including West Virginia, which re-established the program earlier this year. The courts are similar to drug and mental health courts used for minor, non-violent offenses.
"Research has shown Veterans Treatment Court programs to produce positive outcomes," the letter said. "Participants are significantly less likely to experience a new incarceration and are more likely to be in their own housing and receiving necessary VA benefits and services."
States in the coalition are West Virginia, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, along with the U.S. territories of American Samoa and Guam and the District of Columbia.