1. I chose to cover special veterans’ courts for this paper. This court was created back in 2008 in Buffalo, New York. It was created by Judge Robert Russell in an effort to help veterans who have broken the law due to the adverse psychological and emotional effects that military service can have upon a service member. Some veterans, after undergoing various combat situations, being cut off from family and friends, and other hardships associated with being in the military, are not able to properly assimilate back into civilian life, if at all. They may resort to drug use or alcoholism to cope, and/or act out in other ways as well. In the various articles of this kind of court I’ve read, courts usually require that the veteran’s offense must be nonviolent, although in one article other offenses, such as domestic violence, can be heard if a panel decides it can. There are also fellow veterans who work as volunteers with these offenders, as well as opportunities for treatment, help with searching for a job, and counseling. Much like other courts, there are guidelines they must follow, such as refraining from drug use, not committing any more crimes, attending counseling meetings, etc., or else they run the risk of going through criminal court for their original offense(s), as well as the possibility of new charges, should they have committed more crimes.
2. The goal of this kind of court is to help veterans avoid going through an impersonal criminal justice system by reducing recidivism and try to give them the opportunity to receive help in acclimating back to civilian life. Another goal that I found in one of the articles I read is that this kind court tries to dispel the negativities around service members and by trying to prevent...
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...ry.com. Special Court for Veterans Gaining Momentum | Military.com. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/02/24/special-court-for-veterans-gaining-momentum.html
Kentucky.gov: - Jefferson County Veterans Treatment Court is first of its kind in Kentucky. (n.d.). Kentucky.gov: - Jefferson County Veterans Treatment Court is first of its kind in Kentucky. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://migration.kentucky.gov/Newsroom/kycourts
Schrader, J. (2013, December 13). Kentucky.com. Judge John Schrader: Fayette Court program supports troubled veterans. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://www.kentucky.com/2013/12/13/2985806/judge-john-schrader-fayette-court.html
Siegel, L. J., Schmalleger, F., & Worrall, J. L. (2011). Specialized Courts. Courts and criminal justice in America (p. 161). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Schmalleleger, F. (2002). Criminal Law Today: An Introduction with capstone cases. (2nd edition) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
Seigal, L. J., & Worrall, J. L. (2012). Introduction to criminal justice (13th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Throughout his novel, Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, author and professor Robert Perkinson outlines the three current dominant purposes of prison. The first, punishment, is the act of disciplining offenders in an effort to prevent them from recommitting a particular crime. Harsh punishment encourages prisoners to behave because many will not want to face the consequences of further incarceration. While the purpose of punishment is often denounced, many do agree that prison should continue to be used as a means of protecting law-abiding citizens from violent offenders. The isolation of inmates, prison’s second purpose, exists to protect the public. Rehabilitation is currently the third purpose of prison. Rehabilitation is considered successful when a prisoner does n...
Holten, N. G. & Lamar, L. L. (1991). The Criminal Courts Structures, Personnel, and Processes. Florida: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
“Serving those who have served” (About Disabled American Veterans 1). This is the mission statement of the DAV, or the Disabled American Veterans. The DAV helps thousands of disabled American veterans in their life after war.
As I made my way to an empty bench in the chamber, I noticed that most of the people in the chamber were veterans. A majority of the veterans appeared to be in their eighties or nineties. Later, I found out that they were all veterans of World War 2. As I sat down I was handed a newspaper printed for veterans who live in Harris County.
One of the most serious problems facing all veterans today is the lack of proper healthcare. Soldiers, sailors and airmen are leaving active duty without having proper healthcare to cover their physical or mental injuries. The department responsible for veteran’s healthcare is the Department of Veterans Affairs. (VA) According to The department of Veterans Affairs website, “The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is responsible for administering programs of veterans’ benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors. The benefits provided include disability compensation, pension, education, home loans, life insurance, vocational rehabilitation, survivors’ benefits, medical benefits and burial benefits. It is administered by the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs.” The VA, who was formerly called the Veterans Administration, was established 21 July 1930, to consolidate and coordinate government activities affecting war veterans. The VA encompassed the functions of the former U.S. Veterans' Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. On 25 October 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation creating a new federal Cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs to replace the Veterans Administration effective 15 March 1989 (V.A.)
Scheb, J. M., & Scheb, J. M. (2011). Criminal law and procedure. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
This year, the United States is set to end over a decade of continuous combat operations in Afghanistan as well as reduce the size of the military in an effort to restrain the growing deficit of the federal government. While some welcome these actions, they will have a significant effect on the men and women of the armed forces. Since the military is now focused on returning to a peacetime posture and cutting personnel, more veterans will be entering the civilian market. These men and women, who come from all walks of American life, will have had vastly different experiences than their civilian counterparts. These veterans will have spent their formative years in a wartime military and while they have so much to offer society, often, their service and they as individuals are stereotyped with unflattering characteristics by civilian managers, which has a negative impact during their post-military search for employment. Some civilians see them as uneducated and suffering from a host of mental problems related to their service. This problem is not only relevant for recent veterans but for all of those who have volunteered to serve in the military. Veteran unemployment is a serious problem for the United States. Those who choose to serve in the military should not be negatively impacted in the civilian marketplace as a result of their sacrifice.
These courts are often complex, involve new partnerships, new roles, and of course new players both in and outside the courthouse. It is important to understand that each problem-solving court will be shaped by local circumstances. As such, problem-solving justice remains as much an uncharted territory today as when it was first introduced.
Cole, G. F., & Smith, C. E. (2008). Criminal Justice in America (5th ed.). : Thomson Learning.
The Project I will be focusing on is Project Exile, which started in Richmond, Virginia in 1997. In Richmond, the national murder rate had increased in the early 1990s; many of these murders were due to gun violence (Bialik, n.d.). Young men primarily between the ages of 15 to 34 were the main targets of this gun violence both as the victims and offenders. The mayors and police chiefs were looking for a way to reduce this violence (Bialik, n.d.). Project Exile sought to stop gun violence. Instead of cases which involved illegal firearms going to a state court which was what usually occurred, they were sent to federal court where offenders were less likely to receive bail and more likely to receive a mandatory minimum
Schmalleger, F. (2009), Prentice Hall, Publication. Criminal Justice Today: An introductory Text for the 21st century
There are numerous community based corrections programs available in the juvenile justice system such as: drug court or substance abuse treatment, mentoring, independent living transition services, community service, mediation or restitution, group home placement, functional family therapy, job training or work programs, Electronic Monitoring System or Global Positioning System,
Legal Information Institute. (2010, August 9). Retrieved February 17, 2012, from Cornell University Law School: http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/criminal_law