Shared from the 11/24/2018 San Antonio Express eEdition

Felony veterans court helps the struggling

Officials hope to divert offenders from criminal justice system

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Kin Man Hui / Staff photographer

Judge Lori I. Valenzuela applauds a military veteran’s completion of a treatment program on Nov. 15. Valenzuela’s court is one of two in Bexar County that handle felony cases committed by veterans.

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Kin Man Hui / Staff photographer

Case manager John Herman talks with a veteran during court proceedings. The program aims to help provide treatment.

There’s no drill or ceremony, but the men and women who appear in Felony Veterans Treatment Court stand before the judges and maintain a military bearing — a form of respect rarely shown by civilian defendants.

One of Bexar County’s newest specialty courts, the court formed last year around Veterans Day and began hearing cases in January. It is for former servicemen and women who suffer from drug or alcohol abuse, mental health issues or post traumatic stress disorder, and have specified felony offenses pending. There is a companion court on the misdemeanor side that has operated for years.

Treatment court for veterans is logical here because of the large military footprint in Bexar County; there are about 60,000 active-duty personnel and some 211,000 veterans living here, with the military’s overall economic impact estimated at $28.8 billion a year.

“Our goal is to give somebody the best resources and treatment so they have the tools to go back into the community,” said Judge Lori I. Valenzuela, one of the judges involved in the program. “We don’t want them to return to the criminal justice system.”

As the daughter of a U.S. Army veteran, she said, the program has a special place in her heart. It is also a passion for Judge Jefferson Moore, a former judge advocate general who retired after 20 years serving in the U.S. Army Reserves and active duty in the National Guard.

“Our goal is to give somebody the best resources and treatment so they have the tools to go back into the community. We don’t want them to return to the criminal justice system.”
Judge Lori I. Valenzuela, one of the judges involved in the program

Though he has never seen combat, Moore said, he has spoken to many who have, and when they return, things aren’t easy.

Docket call for veterans is conducted each week on Thursday afternoons in Valenzuela’s 437th state District Court, and in Moore’s 186th state District Court — which are right across from each other on the third floor of the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center.

“We need to take care of these (vets),” said Moore. “Some of these guys seem to have issues caused by the service we ordered them to do, which is causing them to get arrested.”

The proceedings in FVTC run differently — the weekly meetings begin with everyone reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and each participant has a one-on-one conversation at the bench with their assigned judge, who will ask them about their week, challenges faced and lessons learned.

Valenzuela said the court should not be mistaken for “a revolving door just because you are a vet,” she said, but a treatment court that will provide participants with the tools they need to get them back on their feet.

John Herman, case manager for both courts, said the program is very intense for participants, who must report to court and work with a team of 11 people, up to four times a week in the beginning. He said each case and participant’s criminal history is carefully reviewed

“We will take a look on a case-by-case basis, but it is up to the District Attorney’s Office” regarding the charges, Herman said.

He said a team of 11 review felony offenses such as drug, alcohol and assault charges, but anyone with a more serious accusation such as rape, murder, aggravated assaults that incurred serious bodily injury, or assault with a deadly weapon, aren’t considered for the special court.

The key requirement for each participant is a link between their military service and their criminal history, he said.

“There needs to be a nexus with the military, mental health, substance abuse and criminal history,” said Herman. “There has to be a connection.”

For consideration, veterans must write a letter to the team, which consists of a case manager, a probation officer, a Veterans Affairs coordinator, two Bexar County prosecutors, two defense attorneys, both judges and two mentors.

The main focus is to reduce arrests, promote self-sufficiency to keep participants sober and help them achieve education and employment to become responsible members of the community.

“They have to do treatment, drug tests, community service hours,” Moore said.

The time commitment is intense, but he said: “In as short as four weeks, I can see them improving. It’s stark.”

The new court currently has 18 participants who meet weekly with a team, which consists of a probation officer, a Veterans Affairs coordinator, two Bexar County prosecutors, two defense attorneys, two mentors, and Moore and Valenzuela. The program will take from 18 months to two years to complete, Herman said, and then the participant enters after-care.

Although the charges would stay the same, once someone successfully completes the court’s program, Herman said, there would be pre-trial and other diversion programs and alternatives that the team would discuss with the DA’s office, which has the final say on disposition of the case.

Herman said once a participant is done with the program, that doesn’t mean contact ends there.

“We will stay with them and continue to work with them 100 percent,” he said. “Once they are with us, we’re family.” ezavala@express-news.net |

Twitter: @elizabeth2863

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