Establishing a sustainable infrastructure to support the implementation of a veteran-centric jail diversion program

• In Event: Mental Illness, Treatment Utilization, and Treatment Outcomes Among Justice-Involved Veterans

Abstract

Many returning combat Veterans have high rates of substance abuse and mental illness, including Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), which increase the risk for criminal justice involvement. Alternative to incarceration programs have become increasingly common, however with the exception of Veterans Treatment Courts (VTCs), other Veteran-centric, jail diversion programs have not been discussed. This presentation describes the process of implementing MISSION-DIRECT-VET (MDV), a time-limited, trauma-informed, treatment intervention for justice-involved Veterans. Ninety Veterans were consecutively enrolled into MDV from four Massachusetts court regions. MDV services began once a Veteran was diverted by the court from jail into treatment. Common offenses upon being diverted included crimes against person (violence; 44.4%), alcohol or drug related offenses (26.7%), and property crimes (17.8%). Although different from a VTC, which requires regular appearances before a judge, MDV was directly embedded into existing court case processing and probation structures in the four court regions and included 12-months of service delivery. On average, Veterans received 2.5 hours of sessions/week for four months, 1.5 hours of case management services for the next six months, and a monthly meeting during the last two months. Implementation process and 12-month outcome data will be included in the presentation.

Authors

• Leon Sawh, Department of Veterans Affairs

• David Smelson, Department of Veterans Affairs

• Debra Pinals, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health

• William H. Fisher, University of Massachusetts, Lowell