Sen. Kerry, Rep. Kennedy Introduce Legislation to Fund Veterans Treatment Courts

Legislation would provide veterans access to drug treatment and mental health services

NEW BEDFORD – Senator John Kerry and Congressman Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island today teamed up in New Bedford to introduce legislation that would establish a federal grant program for veterans treatment courts.

The Services, Education and Rehabilitation for Veterans (SERV) Act would authorize federal funds for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to create new treatment courts and enhance existing courts already treating veterans.

"Speeches about veterans are just words and platitudes if we don’t go the extra mile to help those who have a hard time readjusting when they come home," said Senator Kerry. "You have to heal the hidden wounds of war too and you can’t be afraid to bring those issues out of the shadows. We need to be ready to help them readjust and deal with post traumatic stress so it doesn’t consume their lives and lead to drug and alcohol abuse. When a veteran runs into drug and alcohol problems they have a specific set of needs that are best addressed in a special setting sensitive to what it means to be a veteran. This bill will help them get treatment by creating drug courts designed to treat problems specific to our veterans. Drug courts have had incredible success and will allow us to give veterans the help they need while preventing them from being caught in the criminal justice system."

"Veterans treatment courts have proven to be a successful alternative for our nation's bravest citizens who find themselves lost in the court system, suffering from addiction or mental illness. This legislation recognizes their unique circumstances and the sacrifices they made for our freedoms by providing an innovative and effective process to help them, and their families, rebuild their lives," said Kennedy.

"It is an honor for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals to work with such distinguished members of Congress on bringing the Drug Court model to veterans in need of treatment," said Judge Chuck Simmons, NADCP board Chair and Judge for the 13th Circuit Adult Drug Court in South Carolina. "We ask much of our servicemen and women and they ask little in return. Often, they are the last to ask for help. We are ultimately responsible for ensuring that whatever effects they suffer in the task of defending us will be treated. Those who struggle cannot continue to be released into the streets or locked in prison where they have no chance at recovery. The SERV Act will help ensure that every veteran who needs it will have the opportunity, not for incarceration, but for treatment and restoration in a Veterans Drug Treatment Court."

Drug courts are an effective tool used to treat and reintegrate nonviolent offenders with substance abuse issues into society. Drug Courts have had incredible success in lowering recidivism and crime rates in communities across the country. The SERV Act would authorize funds for the ONDCP to help our nation’s veterans get access to the drug treatment and mental health services they need. The ONDCP would disburse funds for a grant program run by the Department of Justice in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, to support, develop, and implement veterans’ drug treatment courts dedicated to overseeing nonviolent, substance-abusing offenders through judicially supervised mandatory drug testing and substance abuse and mental health treatment services. Modeled on a highly successful program that has been implemented in Western New York, this initiative will benefit both communities and veterans.

Nearly 1.7 million men and women have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands of them from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The need for veterans’ treatment courts is apparent. The Department of Veterans Affairs has found that substance abuse disorders are one of the three most common diagnoses within the veteran population. Additionally, a January 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that approximately one out of every six veterans from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom has a substance abuse problem.

To be eligible for funding the court must effectively integrate substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, mandatory drug testing, sanctions and incentives, and transitional services in a judicially supervised court setting with jurisdiction over nonviolent, substance-abusing offenders that have served in the United States military.

Also included is the authorization for the National Drug Court Institute (NDCI). The NDCI is a bipartisan supported organization that conducts national, comprehensive training programs for State and local communities for the purpose of improving the professional skills of drug court practitioners and enhancing the ability of State and local communities to expand drug courts to reach all addicted citizens in need of their resources.

The SERV Act is endorsed by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP), the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

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