Pulaski County’s veterans treatment court has its first three graduates. Superior Court Judge Crystal Kocher honored their accomplishments during a graduation ceremony Friday.
“Each of them have been involved in the veterans treatment court for a minimum of 18 months,” she explained. “They’ve made difficult life changes, decision-making changes, and met the requirements of each phase of the veterans treatment court program.”
Judge Kocher said the traumatic experiences encountered by many who serve in the military can lead to mental health challenges or substance use issues. She said veterans treatment courts use a non-adversarial team approach to get them access to long-term treatment.
“The ultimate goal of the Pulaski County Veterans Treatment Court is to reduce criminal activity and ensure public safety,” Kocher explained. “We do this through intensive supervised substance use and mental health programming. We support and encourage justice-involved veterans during their recovery and assist the individuals we serve in returning to the active and purposeful citizens who honorably served our country.”
State Senator Ed Charbonneau, himself a veteran, also commended the graduates, comparing them to “beautiful butterflies.” “This is awesome,” he said. “I hunt these kinds of events down. I can’t tell you for sure whether I was invited or just showed up. But these kinds of things are life-changing.”
Each veterans treatment court graduate was presented with a certificate, quilt, and challenge coin.
