Sanctioning in Veterans Treatment Courts: Policies, Implementation Fidelity, Impact, and Experience

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

As a type of specialized court, the veterans treatment court (VTC) model includes the utilization of a system of graduated rewards and sanctions in response to participants’ compliance and noncompliance with program requirements. While national surveys have shown their reported presence in the majority of VTC programs across the country, empirical research has yet to examine anything beyond this existence. This panel initiates empirical inquiry into VTC sanctions. Specifically, the presentations focus on the sanctioning policies with VTCs, the fidelity of sanctioning implementation, both staff and participant perceptions of the sanctions themselves and their administration, and the impact that sanctioning practices have on program success. Research and programmatic implications of these findings are also discussed. As there is an absence of sanction research with an estimated 400 VTCs currently operating across the country, these translational studies are both timely and necessary for program guidance and the practical furtherance of research.

Sub Unit

• Area VIII. Perceptions of Crime & Justice / 53. Attitudes about the Criminal Justice System & Punishment

Individual Presentations

• Analyzing sanctioning policies and implementation fidelity: Results from Phase 1 of NIJ’s multi-site evaluation of VTCs - Julie Marie Baldwin, American University; Richard Hartley, University of Texas San Antonio

• Examining the validity of sanctioning behavior among VTC staff - Kevin Rumley, Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court; Jamie Vaske, Western Carolina University

• Sanctioning perceptions and experiences of VTC participants - Erika Brooke, University of Florida; Julie Marie Baldwin, American University