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.
Seigal, L. J., & Worrall, J. L. (2012). Introduction to criminal justice (13th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
The Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) is a public organization that is government provided. The organization funding is produce through taxes. The executive branch of the agency is located in Washington DC and is headed by Secretary of Veteran Affairs. There are Veteran Affairs Offices located in all 50 states, including American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, North Marianas Islands, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. It ranks number two in the United States federal department with over 200,000 employees.
Schmalleger, Frank, Criminal Justice A Brief Introduction, Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson Education Inc. , 2010, Page 387
Gaines, L.K., & Kaune, M., & Miller, R.L.(2000) Criminal Justice in Action. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
“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.
Champion, D. J. (2009). Leading U.S. Supreme Court Cases in Criminal Justice: Briefs and Key Terms. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Now, the district court system is the beginning step of the judicial system. A good amount of the case handled by the district court system is either criminal or civil trial cases. According to Roger Miller, “trial courts that have general jurisdiction as to the subject matter may be called county, district, superior, or circuit courts.” The majority of their cases are to be handled in-county first before proceeding further through the court system. Just as businesses and organizations have a chain-of-command or protocol system the government has the
Oct 1993. Retrieved November 18, 2010. Vol. 79. 134 pages (Document ID: 0747-0088) Published by American Bar Association
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.)
Neubauer, D. W., & Fradella, H. F. (2011). America’s courts and the criminal justice system (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
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
These courts began in the 1990s to better rehabilitate offenders with specific needs that could not be efficiently supported within the regular judicial system. Problem-Solving court’s main focus is to find an outcome that will best suit the needs of the offender, victim and community. Even though problem solving courts are still relatively new, they seem to have a beneficial outcome for everyone involved. There are approximately 1,272 problem-solving courts within the United States; from drug courts to veteran’s court, more judicial systems are implementing these courts within their own boundaries.
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 27, 343-360. http://ccj.sagepub.com.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/content/27/3/342
Legal Information Institute. (2010, August 9). Retrieved February 17, 2012, from Cornell University Law School: http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/criminal_law