Oklahoma County prosecutors program gives veterans a second chance

Program gives veterans a second chance

Oklahoma County prosecutors and public defenders have started a program to help veterans with legal trouble get help instead of going to prison.

BY BRYAN DEAN
Published: December 11, 2011

Chris Seals' Air Force career came to an end after an on-duty injury in South Korea and the resulting surgeries left him with debilitating pain.

It also left him addicted to painkillers. Seals, 29, of Oklahoma City, ended up in jail on complaints including obtaining a controlled dangerous substance under false pretenses. Now he is among 32 veterans getting a second chance as part of a program run by Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater and Public Defender Bob Ravitz.

The project, modeled after similar “vet courts” in other states, allows veterans to have charges against them dropped and get help they might need as long as they stay out of trouble and complete a one- to three-year program which includes group therapy and weekly meetings with attorneys assigned to keep them on the right track.

Seals has used the program to turn his life around and volunteers with the public defenders office and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Oklahoma City.
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