We need veterans’ courts in all parts of California

“War is hell.”

Most Americans who have never experienced the trauma of combat understandably cannot appreciate the full context or gravity of this statement. But to those with family, neighbors or friends returning from the battlefield with post-traumatic stress or other combat-related disorders, it most certainly hits home.

California is home to nearly 1 million veterans, with nearly 46,000 living in Fresno County. Many of our brave service men and women do pretty well and are able to readjust to civilian life upon return. Sadly, a good many do not.

According to a 2000 Bureau of Justice Statistics report, 81 percent of all justice-involved veterans had a substance-abuse problem prior to incarceration, 35 percent were suffering from alcohol dependency, 23 percent were homeless at some point in the prior year, 25 percent were identified as mentally ill, and the most heartbreaking statistic of all from the U.S. Veterans Administration: 22 veterans commit suicide in the United States every day.

These and other circumstances lead many veterans into trouble with the law. To the average person, the reaction might be “commit the crime, do the time,” but the roots of these problems run deeper, and the lock-’em-up approach doesn’t help these individuals get on the road to recovery.

That’s where veterans’ treatment courts are having an impact. Started by Judge Robert Russell in New York in 2008, the program and process is simple: Veterans who commit low-level offenses are afforded the opportunity go through the veterans’ court program, normally an 18-month program involving counseling, rehabilitation, education and community service.

The collaborative court typically involves the judge, court and veterans officials, community groups and families, all aimed at helping a veteran find a path to recovery. If veterans complete the program, judges will most likely expunge their records; if they don’t, these people go back into the regular courts.

Veterans’ treatment courts are working, with an average 98 percent success rate nationwide, lowered recidivism rates and cost savings for counties and taxpayers.

Fresno has had the heart and vision to implement such a court.

But too few counties have followed Fresno’s lead. Many, if not most, veterans still aren’t getting the vital resources they need. Only half of California’s 58 counties have veterans courts.

While Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties have terrific veterans’ treatment courts, there are no such services available to nearly 11,100 veterans in Merced County, the 8,500 veterans in Madera County and 6,500 veterans in Tuolumne County. The list goes on.

This is unacceptable. Veterans in every California county should be afforded this same opportunity for recovery and rehabilitation, a roof over their heads, a job and reunification with families.

That’s why we united this year to bring about AB 1672. It commissions a one-year study by the Judicial Council of California to explore the net impact of counties that offer veterans courts, the effect of veterans in counties that lack such courts, and potential efforts and resources to reach veterans in every corner of the Golden State.

The Legislature agrees this is a crucial priority and AB 1672 has unanimously passed the Assembly and two Senate committees. As lawmakers return from their summer break, we hope the Senate and Gov. Brown will ensure this vital legislation becomes law.

Our men and women in uniform lay their lives on the line to make sure we have a brighter tomorrow. We must give them that same degree of hope when they come home.

This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 12:02 PM with the headline "We need veterans’ courts in all parts of California."