Page 63 - Senior Link Magazine Summer 2018- Online Magazine

HONORING SENIORS

VETERANS TREATMENT COURT:

An Option that Lubbock County Needs...
AND LUBBOCK VETERANS DESERVE.

By Walter B. Huffman
Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law, Texas Tech University School of Law
Major General, U.S. Army, Retired.

Most veterans return from symptom of a disease – rather than district court judge, a plan that
military service stronger and a common crime. may include mental health therapy
more prepared to enter civilian and treatment for drug or alcohol
life as positive contributors to Led by the national organization, dependency is developed and
their communities and families Justice for Vets, individual states imposed as a “sentence” that may
than they were before their throughout America began range from six months to five
military experience. Some, creating Veterans Treatment years in duration. If the veteran
however, return suffering from Courts. The Texas legislature completes the program, the record
the so-called “invisible wounds” authorized the creation of Veterans of his or her arrest and trial is
of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Treatment Courts in 2009, and erased. If they fail the program
Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), and since that time, 24 Texas cities and requirements at any point, the
associated depression and anxiety counties have created Veterans veteran goes to jail. As one judge
disorders caused by their exposure Courts. Unfortunately, Lubbock is noted, “This is not a free pass”;
to traumatic events and extreme not one of them. instead it is an opportunity offered
stress during their military service. The concept of a Veterans Court to those who served our nation to
These conditions have always is simple. A county can set its repair their lives. Importantly, the
program works. In Bexar County,
existed among some war own requirements for Veterans which has the longest Texas
veterans, but the combination of Court eligibility, but generally, Veterans Court history, only 3% of
repeated combat tours during our to be eligible, a veteran must the Veterans in the program have
seemingly-unending war since the have been honorably discharged been in trouble with the law again.
terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001 and (or be still serving), must have
a better medical understanding of suffered a medically diagnosed Veterans Treatment Courts, by
the causes and treatment of these mental injury, such as TBI or PTS keeping deserving veterans out
conditions has significantly raised through their military service, of jail and prison and substituting
the public awareness of the plight and the crime committed must be structured treatment programs,
of affected veterans. related to their mental injury. The save veterans lives, families
crimes considered are normally and futures, while at the same
The legal profession, for example, limited to misdemeanors or minor time saving taxpayers hundreds
began to notice that more veterans felonies, and they generally must of thousands of dollars – the
were committing crimes – often be first offenses. Further, the state proverbial win-win. Perhaps Harris
related to drug and alcohol abuse prosecutor, the veteran’s lawyer, County Judge Marc Carter said it
and sometimes associated domestic and the veteran must agree to best: The idea is simple – “to help
violence – than the veteran’s move the case from a regular these men and women who have
previously clean record would criminal court to the Veterans put country before self. They just
have predicted. In combination Court. need a little help dealing with
with medical and mental health the trauma of war.” A simple
professionals, a concept was In the Veterans Court, which idea Lubbock should adopt
developed that could treat this operates only when needed and immediately.
conduct for what it is – the is normally led by a volunteer

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