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Conn. bill creates criminal docket for vets

HARTFORD, Conn. — Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney wants Connecticut to become the latest state to set up special veterans’ courts to deal with troubled military veterans facing criminal charges.

Looney, D-New Haven, said the state’s court system could refer returning veterans to mental health specialists, similar to how the state’s family and drug courts operate.

“Our troubled veterans may not need to be locked up if their combat experience has let to psychological wounds,” Looney told The Hartford Courant. He has introduced a bill during this year’s legislative session that would create a special criminal docket for military veterans.

Veterans advocates report a rise in the number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans across the country facing charges such a domestic violence, firearms violations, breach of peace and drunken driving.

Some states are already creating veterans’ courts or passing laws that deal with offenders who are military veterans.

In Buffalo, N.Y., a special veterans treatment court was created in 2008 after a judge noticed hundreds of veterans were showing up in his courtroom, facing minor charges. California and Minnesota have passed legislation to allow nonviolent veterans to forgo jail time if they can prove their combat experience played a role in their criminal behavior.

“Anger is really a big problem,” said Jay White, an Iraq veteran and counselor at the Hartford Vet Center in Rocky Hill.

The Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs reports that 16,500 state residents have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. That figure includes soldiers in the Connecticut National Guard, the reserves and active duty personnel.

A study by Central Connecticut State University, released in January, shows that a large number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in the state are reluctant to seek help for post-traumatic stress. They fear it will hinder them from finding work in the private sector.

James Campbell, 28, of Middletown said road rage and driving drunk were problems when he returned home from war.

“When I got back, I felt I was indestructible, especially when I was drinking,” said Campbell, who now works as a veterans’ employment representative for the state’s veterans department. “I didn’t care whether I would get into a car and drive drunk.”

He said any jail diversion programs for veterans should include treatment and recovery, as well as a mentoring component.

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Information from: The Hartford Courant.