Should Veterans receive special treatment in Court after committing a crime?

I have read a number of responses. There are MANY Vets that do not ask for help when they need it. People, particularly Vets, are a proud bunch (aren't we). Combat does things to a person that would not have happened as a civilian. I believe the Special Court can be a place to force a Vet to have medical assistance. However, an habitual law offender that has received medical assistance, may need more disciplinary action. I could expand more, however, my two cents will be enough.

Yes! Vet court is no cake walk, I've been thru it. It offers real solutions though and they are huge into the veteran seeking and getting whatever treatments they require, plus the VA docs respect them and place the veteran in a specialized category where medical and psycological followup and monitoring is mandatory; which for many veterans is novel and welcomed. Real solutions can be effected by the veterans courts as witnessed and experienced by myself.

No soldier is more important than setting the right standard. Soldiers with mental health issues should be cared for in such a way that any law breaking tendencies should be noticed before any crime is committed. Our troops need care not special treatment. Yes if they have PTSD that should be taken into account but should not be a get out of jail free card.

I am a disabled peace time veteran, and also a mentor in Veterans Treatment Court here in Racine WI. I am also a long term recovering alcoholic, addict, and former offender. I say absolutely, veterans should get the specialized options.

It goes beyond a moral judgment of right or wrong. Veterans, be they peace time or combat vetted, are a culture unto themselves. Veterans have lived a culture of violence, be it trained and applied or only trained and never applied. Domestic abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, and all the little criminal nuances that go with those addictions, as well as a military lifestyle with an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, dictates that those men and women think differently than the general civilian populace. It doesn't really matter where the "stopping place" happens, but it betters our society and communities in the long run to have another venue to step in. Add now the high number of combat veterans returning from duty to society, and remember the dismissal of the Vietnam veterans.

Not all Viet-era vets suffered ptsd, addiction or criminality, but many did. And were left dismissed and untreated. How many veteran offenders now are the children and grandchildren of these untreated, often dysfunctional families. We as a nation have an obligation to address criminality and addiction in as many ways as possible to keep our communities safe, healthy and crime free. Being on the scene in Veterans Treatment Court, I applaud this effort and I am blessed to witness first hand the difference it can and does make.

I think this is an emerging program. Hawaii is also taking a lead with respect to this topic. See attached. What is not stated in the web article is that the prosecutors are also veterans with combat experience. It does not mean that veteran's are not responsible for their actions, but does mean that the court recognizes that there may be more going on in the veteran's life that needs to be addressed.

It is a great program and works well. Are veteran's entitled to it... no. Am I glad the program is offered and works... YES!

http://www.courts.state.hi.us/special_projects/veterans_court.html

A Viet Nam veteran with PTSD and significant psychosis was put to death the other day, because he blanked and killed a police officer in a particularly heinous way. The video of that death has become a training video for police departments everywhere on how not to approach a car. It was awful. And yet the courts had plenty of documentation as to the mental condition of the veteran. They were not allowed to consider that information during sentencing, however. I just feel it woud not have hurt anyone for that veteran to have been committed to a mental institution for the rest of his life. There is a program within the VA called Justice Outreach, which helps veterans who have been arrested to get help navigating the system. I called them just the other day for a fellow shipmate of mine who sustained brain damage on active duty and is now addicted to meth and dependent on alcohol. He went drinking, became belligerent, and when a police officer and an EMT tried to get him out of the bar, he hit both of them. As much as I feel that anyone who hits an EMT, who is just there to help, deserves to sit on their butt in jail for a few months, my friend needs help. It doesn't solve anything to let him sit there. Better to get him into rehab. Better for the system, better for my friend, better for society.

On a case by case basis, this could possibly work. At first glance, I was tempted to say no based on the title of the thread, but looking at the question in its entirety, I understand more about the intent.

While I am tempted to say yes to the question, after considering it I have to say no. A crime is a crime. If you commit one then you should pay the price. Why should you get credit for serving after doing a less than honorable act.

Generally, speaking you do the crime, you should be ready to do the time. Not saying there will not be occasions where special consideration should be given, but that is true whether you served or not.

A person's circumstance should be considered in the sentencing phase of a convicted sentence, and I would hope they are for veterans with mental instabilities or disabilities.

That being said, no one should get special favors because of who they are or what they have seen during a criminal investigation or trial. No person is, or should, above the law.

Absolutely not. SEVERAL reasons for this:

1) First and foremost, your oath should NOT end once your service is complete. The values that you've lived by in the service should NOT end as you retire or ETS...

2) People are people and those in the service risk their tail to ensure that people remain free and are considered "equal" - To include veterans. And therefore, we should be seen as equal in the eyes of the law.

3) This is probably going to be the most unpopular - Everyone's offended nowadays. Everybody is "tolerant" today - to the extent to where if you oppose a view intellectually, you're intolerant and therefore, ignorant, or worse, "toxic". So many have some sort of chip on their shoulder, some sort of PTSD related bad habit, or behavior. Or at least think this in their mind.... The veteran culture out in the civilian world has become one of victimization and sadness. I have, and I'm not joking or being facetious, have heard of office clerks claiming anxiety or even "nightmares" of the amount of paperwork they had to do... Really?

I can understand if the individual truly has some sort of mental illness due to service - then yes, get them the treatment that they need, and in the meanwhile, fix the system on how we react to mentally ill criminals as a whole. It's broken on the civilian side as well as the military/VA end.

This is just unacceptable behavior. Providing special treatment to veterans when they do something stupid is feeding int that. We need a change in culture and mind set...