New federal court aims to help veterans

Western Kentucky courtrooms have joined a national movement to keep veterans out of prison, channel them into rehab and create a more compassionate justice system.

U.S. Attorney John Kuhn recently announced the formation of a veteran treatment court in the Western District of Kentucky -- a region that stretches from Louisville to Paducah. Under the program, former servicemen and women who commit nonviolent federal crimes may undergo an 18-month treatment for medical issues traced to military service, such as mental illness and substance abuse. Program completion, which includes regular monitoring by a judge, allows federal prosecutors to reduce or dismiss charges.

“If they succeed, their entire lives are going to be turned around because they’ll get the treatment they need,” Kuhn said. “We’ll be more effective without simply incarcerating folks for long periods of time.”

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The treatment court will serve roughly six veterans in 2016 before it aims to double that figure next year, Kuhn said. He added that it incurs no additional cost for the judicial system as the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs will cover all medical services.

The program is also one of the first versions of the treatment courts that helps veterans entangled in federal, rather than state, crimes.

Treatment courts for former service members easily took hold in state justice systems because they were modeled off of pre-existing drug courts, Chris Deutsch, spokesman of the nonprofit Justice for Vets, said. More than 200 local courtrooms, including Jefferson County's in 2012, have adopted their own version since a New York judge created the inaugural one in 2008. They now serve roughly 13,000 vets annually, Deutsch said.

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In 2010, a federal court in Utah instituted the first nonstate model. At least seven districts, including western Kentucky, have followed, Deutsch said.

“There are veterans coming into contact in the federal system who could benefit from this type of alternative to incarceration,” Deutsch said. “At this early stage, we are still learning how this model could be correctly applied and what the numbers look like.”

As the veteran treatment court movement spreads to federal districts, western Kentucky’s program could provide a model for them, Kuhn said. He added that justice officials praised it for being a comprehensive program.

The proliferation of judicial flexibility for servicemen also signals shifts toward compassion for veterans, Leila Levinson, an advocate for treatment courts, said. Judges now recognize they must connect veterans with services that bureaucracy renders inaccessible, she said.

"All too frequently the red tape and other obstacles prevent many veterans from seeking out the help they need," Levinson said. “Rather than punishing, we need to facilitate healing."

Jiahua Hu can be contacted at (502) 582-4469.