Policy Panel: Theoretical and Practical Issues Facing Veterans Treatment Courts and Those in Contact with Them

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

Veterans treatment courts (VTCs) have rapidly disseminated across the country and are currently operating at all levels from municipal through federal jurisdictions. However, a large body of systematic research in this area has not been established to date and the understanding of what these courts are exactly doing is currently vague. This panel has been assembled to discuss specific issues that have been discovered in VTCs. These issues are specifically related to target populations and eligibility requirements, training and mentor courts, and service connection issues. These issues, along with the resultant program and policy implications, will be critically examined through both theoretical and practical lenses.

Sub Unit

• Policy Panels

Individual Presentations

• A Researcher's Perspective - Julie Marie Baldwin, Missouri State University

• A Mentor Coordinator's Perspective - Christopher Araujo, Military Veteran Peer Network (MVPN)

• A Court Administrator's Perspective - Jolene Grajczyk, Travis County Veterans Court

• A Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist's Perspective - Karen Janda, Travis County Veterans Court

• A Program Director's Perspective - B. J. Wagner, Smart Justice of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute

Chair

• Julie Marie Baldwin, Missouri State University