The regular court system rarely takes into consideration the previous background of an offender. The focus of regular courts is on punishment and incarceration rather than on rehabilitation. It is true that it is impossible to consider each offender’s background and what pushed them to commit one misdemeanor or another; however there are some groups of people that have a similar background and similar struggles. Veterans belong to one of these groups, and thus, courts that deal with non-violent veterans’ cases are a good way of solving these types of cases effectively. Veteran courts are different from regular courts due to the special treatment program that veterans need to complete. This, on the one hand, is beneficial to veterans as they have a chance to recover, while the society benefits as there is less likelihood that the offender will repeat the misdemeanor.
The main difference between veteran courts and traditional courts is that offenders need to pass a special treatment program. If they manage to complete it, the sentence might be reduced or forgiven completely (“One court that gives veterans a second chance”). This program is based specifically on the struggles that a high percentage of ex-militaries go through. The common issues among veterans include PTSD, substance abuse and depression: approximately one in five vets suffers from PTSD, and one in six is addicted to alcohol or drugs (“What is a veterans treatment court?”). Thus, the program is aimed at combating these issues specific to veterans. When an offender completes the program, they have more chances of going back to regular healthy life.
This kind of system benefits the veterans who commit non-violent crimes significantly. On the one hand, when a person is accused of misdemeanor and it has been proven that the misdemeanor is connected to PTSD or substance abuse, rehabilitation is more important than punishment. By giving the offender a chance to go through a rehabilitation process, they are more likely to recover from the issues they are struggling with and go back to normal life. On the other hand, being incarcerated without any rehabilitation process would not benefit the people who committed misdemeanors as they would leave the prison with the same issues and inclinations. Thus, having the possibility to reduce the sentence and recover from mental problems or substance abuse will only bring benefits to the offenders.
Society as a whole also benefits from this kind of system as this system has been proven to be successful when it comes to preventing repeated offences. According to statistics, the special treatment program has a 98% success rate, which means that only 2% of the convicted veterans go back to criminal behavior (“What is a veterans treatment court?”). For society, this means that there is less crime and more reintegrated citizens. Besides, ex-offenders not repeating the crimes means less budget funds allocated to maintain the prisoners. Thus, the veterans’ courts contribution to society’s welfare is evident.
To conclude, courts specialized on certain groups of offenders with similar background issues are an effective way to deal with delinquency, and courts dedicated to non-violent veteran cases are not an exception. These courts make an emphasis on rehabilitation instead of punishing offenders who commit misdemeanors as a result of their struggles. Due to this, it is possible for the veterans to recover and become full members of society, while the society benefits from the reduced crime rate and decreased budget spending on prison maintenance.
References
What is a veterans treatment court? (n.d.). Justice for Vets. Web.
CBS Sunday Morning. (2015). One court that gives veterans a second chance. YouTube. Web.