VETERANS COURT OF ORANGE COUNTY

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VETERANS COURT OF ORANGE COUNTY
Community CourtSuperior Court of California909
N. Main Street Santa Ana,
CA 92701
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Veterans Court began November 18, 2008

• BACKGROUND
• In January 2002, the Orange County Superior Court
  initiated a study on the feasibility of
  developing a community court. The community court
  will focus on those who have committed quality of
  life crimes and, by building partnerships with
  local criminal justice, County and community
  agencies, more effectively respond to the needs
  of offenders. As the study progressed, a vision
  for a new kind of community court was developed -
  one that would seek not only to improve the
  offenders quality of life, but also address more
  serious issues and more complicated social
  problems like substance abuse and mental illness.

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MISSION STATEMENT

• The mission of the Orange County Veterans Court
  is to provide an inter-agency, collaborative,
  non-adversarial treatment strategy for Veterans
  in the criminal justice system who suffer from
  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),
  psychological or substance abuse problems as a
  result of having served in a combat theater

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Veterans Court is a collaborative effort

• The Court
• Department of Veterans Affairs (V.A.)
• The Public Defender
• The District Attorney
• The Probation Department
• The Health Care Agency
• Many other community partners

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The goals of the Veterans Court are to

• Protect the public
• Reduce participant contact with the criminal
  justice system
• Reduce cost associated with criminal case
  processing and re-arrest
• Introduce participants to an ongoing process of
  recovery designed to help them become stable,
  employed and substance free while continuing
  mental health care through community/peer
  counseling groups or the V.A.

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Admission Criteria

• Cases considered for admission to the Veterans
  Court will include both misdemeanor and felony
  cases, where the treatment team believes
  admission will protect the public and assist the
  Veteran.

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Length of Treatment

• A participant shall not be eligible for
  graduation unless he or she has completed a
  minimum of 18 month participation in Veterans
  Court which includes 6 month in the mentoring
  program.

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Program Phases at a Glance

• Orientation Phase Minimum of 30 days
• Phase 1- Treatment Plan Development Minimum of
  90 days
• Phase 2- Ongoing Treatment Minimum of 90 days

• Phase 3- Stabilizing/Mentoring Minimum of 145
  days
• Phase 4- Transition to Graduation Minimum of 6
  months

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Participants in the program are required to
comply with the following

• Report to VA Coordinator Probation Officer as
  directed
• If applicable, submit to substance abuse testing
  as directed
• Comply with treatment plan. Including
  medication(s).
• Attend court appearances appointments as
  directed
• Participate in clean sober recreation/fellowship
  
• Must be employed or pursuing vocational/educationa
  l goals
• Complete volunteer service hours
• Participate in the mentoring program

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Participants in the program have the following
demographics

• Ages range from 23 to 64
• Marital status- Divorced, Married, Separated
  single with underage adult children
• Combat Era- Operation Iraqi Freedom, Persian Gulf
  War, the Vietnam War
• Military branches- Army, Marines, Navy

• Types of charges- Arson, Assault, D.U.I.
  Possession of Narcotics, Receiving Stolen
  Property, Reckless Driving Trespass
• Diagnosis- Bipolar, Depression, PTSD, Traumatic
  Brain Injury (TBI ) Schizophrenia
• Treatment includes, but is not limited to-
  Psychiatric/Mental Health, Substance Abuse
• Services include- Employment assistance,
  educational, housing, Social Services, Social
  Security benefits, and V.A. benefits

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Veterans Court Team

• District Attorney, Wendy Brough [phone],
  Wendy.Brough_at_da.ocgov.com
• Probation Officer, Cyr Oca [phone],
  Cyr.Oca_at_prob.ocgov.com
• Public Defender, Isabel Apkarian - (714)
  569-2039, Isabel.Apkarian_at_pubdef.ocgov.com
• V.A. Justice Outreach Coordinator, Andrea
  Serafin - [phone], Andrea.serafin_at_va.gov
• Collaborative Courts Coordinator, Laura Morfin -
  [phone], Lmorfin_at_occourts.org