State Veteran Courts Serve the Needs of Michigan Vets
Imagine this, if you will…..
You are a young man or woman, raised in Michigan, who chooses to join the armed forces after high school. Perhaps because you are patriotic. Perhaps because it is what your father, and his father before him, did. Perhaps you just wanted to get away from home for a while, learn something new, see some place different.
But whatever your reasons, you join, you train and then you are sent halfway around the world into a war zone. You are terrified. You see your friends suffer horribly, or simply die. You kill people, because when it comes right down to it, this is war and you have little choice. You live in constant fear, and when you sleep, the nightmares are haunting.
Upon your return home, you find that it’s impossible to return to life as you knew it. You have seen things, and perhaps done things, that make restful sleep a thing of the past. You struggle with physical pain from wounds you suffered, and even greater psychological pain from losses you endured. In this new life you find that you have new enemies – bright lights, sudden loud noises, darkness, even your own memories…
Current statistics from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs show that 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. 19% of veterans have also suffered from a Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI. Military counselors will tell you, however, that the numbers are significantly higher. Many veterans go undiagnosed, or do not seek help. In addition, there is a significant number of veterans who, in trying to cope with PTSD, TBI and depression, turn to alcohol and drugs as coping mechanisms. And this, tragically, can lead to crime.
In the most recent study on veterans in prison, conducted more than a decade ago in 2004, it found that 10% of the prison population were veterans. And authorities fear that the number is rising rapidly.
So what is Michigan doing about it? For starters, Michigan has 20 Veteran Treatment Courts, which is more than any other state in the U.S. The purpose of a Treatment Court is to address the specific needs and issues of veterans.
This means putting the focus on sobriety, recovery, therapy, and often reduced sentences in exchange for treatment. These courts look at working with specialized treatment programs, and possible alternative legal consequences for veterans and service members who are involved in the criminal justice system.
We are deeply grateful to the men and women who fought for our nation’s freedom, and we look forward to the day when they are afforded all of the necessary respect, assistance, and care that they deserve.