Editorial: Veterans courts built to last

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This month’s Wisconsin Law Journal print edition’s cover story about veterans courts has lots of information, but glaringly lacks the answer to the most important question: Are veterans courts successful?

The treatment courts provide greater support for defendants, offering mentorship, access to job training, and treatment for substance abuse and mental health disorders as part of handling veterans charged with certain criminal offenses. Eleven veterans courts have opened in Wisconsin since 2009.

The oldest program in the state, Rock County Veterans Treatment Court, started three years ago. Fifteen veteran-defendants have completed the program there, Rock County Circuit Judge James Daley said, and as far as he knows, none has re-offended.

But there is no evaluation system to measure the long-term success of those who participate, Daley said.

The same is true of the Northeast Wisconsin Veterans Treatment Court in Brown County. Circuit Judge Kendall Kelley, who oversees that program, said the court is developing a tracking system.

Finding a way to track each court’s success is important, Kelley acknowledged, because that is the way to improve the process.

Success rates and data also will be necessary to prove the courts are worth the time and effort they require.

For now, veterans courts are not costing local or state governments any extra money, Kelley and Daley said, because the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs covers treatment, and court employees are paid regardless of what court they’re in on a particular day.

But there is a significant time commitment for everyone involved. Judges, such as Kelley, set aside specific times each week to handle veterans court. Mentors, such as those involved with the northeast Wisconsin program, volunteer their time to guide veteran-defendants both inside and outside the courtroom.

Those involved with the veterans courts explain they have both a sense of duty to the men and women who served our country, and a desire to reduce recidivism.

Such motivation has held firm for these initial three years. But unless data show measurable success, even the best intentions could erode.

To make certain that veterans in trouble get meaningful help, the people of Wisconsin should demand a systematic, reliable tracking method that proves the courts’ long-term success and ensures treatment programs are more than just a fad.

As of now, the advocates of veterans courts have left until last the answer to the first question they should be asking.