New York State Unified Court System 7th Judicial District: Rochester Veterans Court

Description Veterans are known to have a warrior's mentality and often do not address their treatment needs for physical and psychological health care. Many find themselves homeless, helpless, dealing with alcohol or drug addiction, and potentially suffering from a serious mental illness. Veterans' Court affords the opportunity for these veterans to regain stability in their lives. The combination of constant judicial monitoring supplemented with chemical dependency and mental health treatments impart a comprehensive plan to ensure our veterans are addressing whatever issues they are facing.

Mission Statement The mission of The Veterans Court is to provide a coordinated community response through collaboration with the veterans' service delivery system and the Criminal Justice System. With the increase in the number of veterans entering the judicial system a coordinated response is warranted.

How Veterans Court Works Rochester Veterans Court diverts eligible veteran defendants with substance dependency and/or mental illness to a specialized criminal court docket. The court substitutes a problem solving model instead of traditional court processing. Veterans are identified through evidence based screening and assessments and agree to voluntarily participate in a judicially supervised treatment plan. The Court reviews compliance with conditions at regular status hearings. Incentives and sanctions are determined at court appearances and completion of the program is defined according to specific criteria.

Rochester Veteran's Court will operate on four separate tracks with each level exposing the veteran to different interventions and treatment levels. Tracks