Court to emphasize rehab, counseling for veterans

Court to emphasize rehab, counseling for veterans

June 21, 2011 8:55 PM
Jared Janes
The Monitor
EDINBURG — As Rio Grande Valley soldiers return from Middle East deployments, Hidalgo County’s new veterans court will offer mental health and substance abuse treatment for those involved in brushes with the law.

The veterans court will begin operations this summer to assist veterans on probation for nonviolent offenses by placing them in a court-supervised program with counseling and rehabilitation services. Since Buffalo, N.Y., began the first court in 2008 to give veterans a second chance, more than 40 other cities and counties have adopted the model to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, severe depression or substance abuse problems traced to their military service.

With U.S. military personnel encountering multiple deployments to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, the veterans court is recognizing that some of those soldiers will have difficulties readjusting to civilian life, said Emilio De Los Santos, the Hidalgo County veterans service director. Rather than incarcerating them if they are arrested, a veterans court focuses on rehabilitation to reduce the chances they show up in the legal system again.

“We’re beginning to see after our veterans come back from two or three deployments, some of them aren’t reaching out for help right away because they’re afraid of the stigma” of post-traumatic stress disorder, said De Los Santos, adding that combat veterans also must adjust to the rigors of everyday life like securing a job or paying a mortgage. “We’re not asking for them to be slapped on the wrist, but we want a treatment program that can provide relief to those veterans.”
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Court to emphasize rehab, counseling for veterans