Oct. 16, 2009
Ohio Courts, Veterans Affairs Form Coalition
Supreme Court of Ohio Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton convened a meeting today to explore collaboration between the Ohio court system and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that would facilitate access to resources for veterans who end up in the criminal justice system.
Justice Stratton has been working with the VA for two years on this project. In May, the VA unveiled the Veterans Justice Outreach Initiative (VJO), which assigns a designated representative to work with the court system to help veterans to access treatment services and other assistance.
“Many of our veterans return to civilian life with serious post-traumatic stress disorders, adjustment issues and other combat-related problems that may lead to their involvement with the criminal justice system,” Justice Stratton said. “We want to help those who have given so much for our country.”
Justice Stratton noted that oftentimes judges are not aware of the services available to help veterans and part of the initiative is to educate judges, courts and law enforcement that alternatives exist beyond incarceration.
“Many of our agencies and groups have programs to help veterans, but are unaware of each other’s available services. I called this meeting so courts could network and collaborate and become aware of what resources are out there. I also wanted to introduce Ohio’s five VJO specialists to the group and the group to them.”
Meeting participants included Attorney General Richard Cordray, Mansfield Municipal Court Judge Jerry E. Ault and leaders of the Ohio departments of Veterans Services, Rehabilitation and Correction, Mental Health, and Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. Also participating were representatives of the Ohio Adjutant General’s office and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
“Courts that are interested in participating – especially Ohio’s drug and mental health specialized dockets – can add a veterans-focused track to their docket,” Justice Stratton said. “But the VJO program is not limited to only those courts. We want to stress that all Ohio judges with veterans caught up in their system should become involved.”
For a high-resolution, print-quality photo of Justice Stratton, visit: http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/PIO/news/images/justices/stratton_highres.zip.
Contact: Chris Davey or Bret Crow at 614.387.9250.