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JACKSON—Attorney General Jim Hood, along with a bipartisan coalition of 44 state attorneys general, is urging Congress to further support veterans by passing the Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2019. House Resolution 886 would establish a Veteran Treatment Court Program in the United States Department of Justice to provide grants and technical assistance to state, local and tribal courts that implement Veteran Treatment Courts.
Veteran Treatment Courts are diversionary court processes, similar to drug and mental health courts, used for minor, non-violent offenses. These courts pair veterans with mentors to address substance abuse and mental health issues and assist veterans with obtaining United States Veterans Administration benefits that can help them with treatment and employment. There are currently over 450 Veteran Treatment Courts in 40 states and territories. Mississippi legislatively approved Veteran Treatment Courts in 2014. However, due to lack of funding, Mississippi currently only has two Veteran Treatment Courts, which operate within the 12th and 19th Circuit Adult Felony Drug Intervention Courts (in Forrest, Perry, George, Greene, and Jackson counties.)
“Passage of the resolution could help fund an additional eight Veterans Intervention Courts in Mississippi according to the state’s Administrative Office of Courts,” General Hood said. “Our military veterans have provided an invaluable service to our country, and the passage of this Act will empower our state and local justice systems to help veterans, with minor offenses, get back on track.”
