Hitting the Target: Models of Screening and Admission in Veterans Treatment Courts

• In Event: Veterans Treatment Courts: Multi-Site Examinations of Program Dissemination and Implementation and Perceptions of the Military-Crime Relationship

Abstract

Research generally indicates that program structure, policies, procedures, resources, and stakeholders greatly vary across veterans treatment courts (VTCs). To understand these specific variations, program nuances, and their causes and effects, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has funded a multi-site evaluation of VTCs. As part of this larger study, this presentation uses observation and team survey data to identify models of eligibility and admission screening of potential VTC participants. These process models are compared and assessed to identify challenges and successes in eligibility and admission policies and practices. This presentation also provides an overview of the larger study, and implications for VTC policy, practice, and research are identified and discussed.

Authors

• Julie Baldwin, American University

• Richard Hartley, University of Texas at San Antonio