Yerramsetti Ashok Paparao, Simons Daniel David, Coonan Loretta, Stolar Andrea
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, U.S.A.
Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX, U.S.A.
Behav Sci Law. 2017 Sep;35(5-6):512-522. doi: 10.1002/bsl.2308. Epub 2017 Sep 14.
The high prevalence of substance use, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental illness in the veteran population presents unique public health and social justice challenges. Veteran involvement in the justice system has been identified as a national concern. Criminal justice involvement compounds pre-existing socioeconomic stressors and further strains support systems. The point of contact with the criminal justice system, however, presents an opportunity to establish mental health treatment. This is consistent with the concept of the sequential intercept model that seeks to divert offenders with mental illness from the criminal justice system into treatment. In recent years, many jurisdictions have established veterans treatment courts (VTCs), a type of problem-solving court serving this diversion function for military veterans. This article presents an overview of the problem, the ethical basis for their development, a brief history of the courts, and their potential for success. The Harris County Veterans Court is presented as an example.
退伍军人中物质使用、创伤性脑损伤、创伤后应激障碍及其他精神疾病的高患病率带来了独特的公共卫生和社会正义挑战。退伍军人参与司法系统已被视为一项全国性问题。刑事司法介入使原有的社会经济压力因素更加复杂，并进一步使支持系统不堪重负。然而，与刑事司法系统的接触点提供了建立心理健康治疗的机会。这与序列拦截模型的概念一致，该模型旨在将患有精神疾病的罪犯从刑事司法系统转移到治疗中。近年来，许多司法管辖区都设立了退伍军人治疗法庭（VTC），这是一种为退伍军人发挥这种转移功能的问题解决法庭。本文概述了该问题、其发展的伦理基础、法庭的简要历史及其成功的潜力。以哈里斯县退伍军人法庭为例进行介绍。
