KCTV5 Investigation: Veterans' Court

KCTV5 Investigation: Veterans' Court
POSTED: 6:51 pm CST November 22, 2010

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Reporters are rarely granted unlimited access in the courtroom, but a special court recently gave unprecedented access to the KCTV5 investigative team led by reporter Stacey Cameron.

The court is in Kansas City, and while the defendants face a variety of problems, such as homelessness, unemployment and post traumatic stress, they all share one thing in common -- every defendant is a military veteran.

Army veteran Ricky Bifford's life can be described as a work in progress. A remodeling effort of sorts.

"It was a time in my life when I didn't think anybody cared," he said.

There was a time when Bifford didn't have a job, a home or much of anything except a suspended driver's license, a history of drug abuse and a couple of misdemeanor warrants. He said that's when he was arrested and his life started looking up.

"I have to pinch myself now, you know, is this real or is it a dream because it's like a second chance," said Bifford.

The second chance came in all places, courtroom B of the Kansas City Municipal Court.

"I just think it's a problem that we don't try to help them when we can," said Judge Ardie Bland.

In his courtroom, Bland is trying to help veterans by recognizing the unique challenges face by some people when they get out of the military.

"They come back with post traumatic stress disorder," he said. "They come back depressed. Many of them it makes it difficult for them to come back and just flow right back into society."

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates 10 percent of adults with criminal records are veterans and nearly a third of those are homeless, or have problems with substance abuse.

Wanting to find an alternative to locking up veterans, Bland teamed up with the professionals at the Kansas City Veterans Administration Hospital and designed a special treatment court for vets charged with non-violent misdemeanors.

"For me, if you look at the success stories of our graduates and how it truly changes their lives, if we can impact just one person's life, that's enough for me," said Kelly Winship, justice outreach coordinator for the V.A.
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