Special court helps veterans get on track

By Christine L. Mobley Legal News Graduating its inaugural class, the Veterans Court is the first of its kind in Oakland County. This therapeutic court -- according to its presiding officer, Oakland County 52-1 District Court Judge Brian MacKenzie -- is a combination of mental health and sobriety courts, meant to help veterans who have crossed the lines laid down by the legal system to once again get back on the right path. The Veterans Court, which began in January of this year, aims to keep veterans out of jail for nonviolent offenses through a tightly supervised counseling and mentoring program. The Veterans Administration has entered into an agreement with the 52-1 District Court to expedite and facilitate the treatment needs of the veteran population. On September 21, six of the program's original participants graduated from the intensive portion of the program. Among those on hand were Paul Hutter, chief of staff for the Veterans Health Administration and a retired colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, and Brigadier General Michael Stone. The success of the program can be measured by participation of those who are in it and the changes in their lives, according to Judge MacKenzie. He notes that none of the original participants have dropped out and they continue to experience success in the program. "(The program) seems to be working pretty well," MacKenzie says. "It's a complicated group of individuals. "We've kept it small so we could learn from our mistakes and we can fix those mistakes when they're small and then uptick the program ultimately." The program creates relationships with other veterans in the use of volunteer mentors for its participants. The goal is to pair those with similar service histories and experiences who are better suited to understand the issues of readjusting to civilian life, according to Judge MacKenzie. The Oakland County Veterans Group is just one of the veterans organizations that has agreed to participate in the program. Published: Thu, Nov 11, 2010

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