CHEROKEE COUNTY VETERANS TREATMENT COURT

Cherokee County Veterans Treatment Court’s (CCVTC) mission is to successfully rehabilitate veterans with substance use and/or mental health disorders who have come into contact with the criminal justice system through criminal activity in Cherokee County by coordinating judicially supervised treatment and community resources that will provide the necessary tools to lead a productive and law-abiding life.

Goals

The goal of Cherokee County Veterans Treatment Court is to bridge the gap between substance abuse, mental health treatment, and other resources available to veterans from the communities they have served and protected.

With the support of its partners and community stakeholders, the goal is to reduce the cost of incarceration and hospitalization for Veterans Court participants by providing judicial supervision, treatment, and community support.

The Cherokee County Veterans Treatment Court will integrate treatment with the justice system, reduce recidivism, improve the veteran’s mental health and/or eliminate substance abuse, promote self-sufficiency, citizenship, and enhance public safety.

Purpose

Cherokee County Veterans Treatment Court (CCVTC) seeks to divert eligible veteran defendants with substance dependency and/or mental illness that are charged with criminal offenses, to a specialized criminal court. The court substitutes a treatment problem solving model for traditional court processing. Veterans are identified through evidence-based screening and assessments. The veterans voluntarily participate in a judicially supervised treatment plan that a team of court staff, veteran health care professionals, veteran peer mentors, and health care professionals develop with the veteran. At regular status hearings, treatment plans and other conditions are periodically reviewed for appropriateness, incentives are offered to reward adherence to court conditions, and sanctions for non-adherence are handed down. Completion of their program is defined according to specific criteria. Many will have their charges dismissed upon successful completions and others are assured of a sentence that will not involve incarceration.

Many veterans are known to have a warrior’s mentality and often do not address their treatment needs for physical and psychological health care. Often those who are referred to CCVTC are homeless, helpless, in despair, suffering from alcohol or drug addiction, and others have serious mental illnesses. Their lives have been spiraling out of control. Through this program, the veteran is offered the opportunity to regain stability in their lives, to have their families strengthened, to have housing for the homeless, and to have employment for the employable.