Via Kevin Graman in NavyTimes,
There are other therapeutic courts — most notably Spokane County Superior Court’s Adult Therapeutic Drug Court and Spokane County District Court’s Mental Health Court — designed to divert defendants from the traditional criminal justice system into rehabilitative services. But Veterans Court is the first in Spokane County designed specifically for military veterans or active-duty soldiers. Thurston County began a veterans court last July, and Clark County is also starting one.Fight it or accept that we are all being painted as damaged goods. I've encountered that attitude since I've joined the civilian world where good people who don't have a clue are convinced that we all need "special help" to deal with our PTSD. This only will make the smear job worse.
Veterans courts are part of a growing movement that began in Buffalo, N.Y., to divert offenders into treatment for psychological problems resulting from military service.
The VA doesn't help where it lets anyone claim PTSD - and as a result, those of us who actually need re-adjustment assistance will be lost in the crowd; killed by others selfish need to prove to the world their "compassion."
15 comments:
I see this as an attempt to classify all veterans as victims of a terrible unjust war who are suffering from various neuroses all because of Bush Adventurism and Colonialism and Imperlism.
In my ever so humble opinion, screw 'em.
I would be happy if we could just get judges and DAs (and even defense lawyers) to understand what Lautenberg means for servicemembers and cops.
Having worked in both the forensic and mental health fields, all of these courts are good things because it keeps petty criminals out of an overcrowded jail, leaves room for more hardened criminals, saves the taxpayer ALOT of money, lowers probation and parole numbers and prevents some from amassing criminal records where none are needed. For example, a paranoid schizophrenic who is arrested for trespassing may spend 4-6 months in jail awaiting trial. The mental health court can hear the case faster and remand to treatment facilities, demand medication compliance (which is not legal without a court order) or court order other treatment. If successful, the court can vacate the crime there by not sullying the record of the individual.
If they are creating a separate court for these incidents, then they also have the numbers of these petty crimes to justify the cost. The goal is to keep the honorably seperated vets who may be arrested for public drunkenness, vagrancy, trespassing and other misdemeanors out of a prison system. If you are a douche, then you will be treated differently and not directed to the mental health or veterans courts.
If you think they are getting special treatment, you are correct. They almost always do if the officer on scene is a veteran, or I have seen them call a veteran on the force out to talk with the individual. Many times these crimes do not even result in arrest. The investigating officer wil take the individual aside and counsel them, give them treatment numbers etc. This just establishes a more formal system when arrests occur to honor the service, the service member and divert from jail where they really do not belong.
but then we run into the law of unintended consequences and have a public perception that returned vets all have criminal adjustment issues.
Not a fan.
If they aren't prison-worthy, don't send them to prison.
My old next door neighbor, who was seriously injured by an IED in Iraq and was medically retired from the Army, actually told me I should go to the VA and try to diagnosed with PTSD for the bennies. "Man you gotta be messed up in the head after all that time at sea. I know I would be..." WTF?
Most people do not know these courts exist, nor do they care. I hear you about the "<span>If they aren't prison-worthy, don't send them to prison." Unfortunately, that is not how our judicial system operates and the hope is to avoid the conviction as much as it is jail.
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Was watching the new HBO show Boardwalk Empire...
And the "Jimmy" character is the obligatory cynical -crazed- vet.
Dig the stereotype in a little deeper....
It's unfortunate that Veterans get painted as tainted, but thats what we get for ignoring problems after Vietnam. It's too bad that today's military leadership's perspective is that if we only ignore it again, everything will be ok. Perhaps you'd be happier with death panels for the weak?
Nice to see you supporting the troops with issues.
There isn't a soul here that's against first class help for any vet that asks for it. What pisses us off is the characterization of ANY vet that they will always have PTSD.
Yes there is. How many posts do we have to have about strict limitations on what is, and what is not PTSD?
You're lying, and it's typical of vietnam era veterans. Honor? Right. Thanks for exemplifient the point.
Perhaps the branding of "veteran" is so tarnished by the Vietnam era that we need a new word for post service military men and women. Sad. Notice the rise of "Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans" used in language? It's an attempt to segregate from the insanity of the past.
Is this your goal for first class care:
"<span>In my ever so humble opinion, screw 'em."</span>
Amazing.
Troll. Veteran isn't tarnished - just the prism you see life through is. I recommend you take a deep breath and read Burkett's Stolen Valor and then come back and make a useful contribution to the discussion.
Thanks for the epic fail my friend but please go back and look at a few more sources. Bill Mauldin in his book Up Front, in an essay in that book noticed that even his generation was being painted as messed up, criminally insane folks by the community and media at large. I don't have the book in front of me right now, but basically he stated that the minute the media heard that some jerk-wad did something wild (like kill his wife or rob a bank) and they found out he was a vetern. They blamed it on "shell-shock", Mauldin looked back some more in his newpaper archives and found the same was true going as far back at least the ACW that the media and progressives would paint veterns with PTSD (or shell shock as it was known then) and that ipso facto all veterns must have same disease and need help. Forgeting that those who are the criminals have more messed up with them then just military service time.
Not the time to bring up your position about strict limits on PTSD diagnosis? Easier to call people names. Classy.
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