All Volunteer, Naïve, or Coerced Enlistment? An Analysis of Participation Voluntariness and Program Knowledge in Veterans Treatment Courts

• In Event: Ethical Issues in Veterans Treatment Courts

Abstract

Research has examined perceptions of voluntariness and knowledge in drug and mental health courts. To date, these perceptions have not been explored in the veterans treatment courts (VTCs), the most recent nationally expanding component in the specialized court movement. This study builds on the authors’ prior study that explored the perceptions of VTC participants regarding voluntariness of participation by examining participants’ program knowledge itself and in relation to perceptions of voluntariness or coercion. This research employs both qualitative and quantitative data from one of the first VTC program evaluations. The findings and resultant program and policy implications for VTCs and other specialized courts are presented and discussed, and future directions for research are recommended.

Authors

• Julie Marie Baldwin, Missouri State University

• Megan Kienzle, The College at Brockport, State University of New York