Oklahoma County starts veterans treatment court

A new veterans treatment court has begun in Oklahoma County as a way to divert veterans with severe substance abuse disorders from prison.

The court held i ts first docket last Tuesday with a handful of veterans who will undergo a rigorous 18to 24-month program aimed at recovery instead of prison time.

“I think it's great that we have people working for us that want to support us,” one participant told the courtroom on Tuesday.

Participants are required to engage in counseling sessions, take drug tests and attend court. They'll also receive help connecting to benefits and treatment options.

Veterans will be assigned a partner who is also going through the program, dubbed a “battle buddy,” as away to encourage accountability, as well as being paired with a community mentor who is also a veteran.

Catt Burton, head of diversion programs for the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office, said she has pushed for the treatment court for the last two years. The county recently received a roughly $500,000 grant that made the court possible.

It's a critical need, Burton said.

“If we don't get them help with this disorder, they'll be right back (in court),” she said.

“We interview all of our veterans, and over the years, the theme of those interviews is that they want to restore their honor. They want to be proud of themselves again.”

The new treatment court marks the continued expansion of diversion programs aimed at re forming the county' s criminal justice system.

Judge Kenneth Stoner will oversee the new treatment court. Stoner also runs the county's successful drug court.

The county also has a veterans diversion program, but it is designed for lowrisk, low-need offenders. Stoner said the treatment court allows higher-need individuals a chance to work with a team trained to handle problems unique to veterans.

Still, some won't qualify for the court. This includes those with certain violent offenses like murder or rape.

“Veterans have issues unique to their demographic, but they also tend to respond really well to structure and accountability,” Stoner said.

“So instead of having veterans appear before a bunch of different judges that don't have a lot of training or experiences with the issues specific to veterans, you have one judge, in one courtroom, with a multidisciplinary team that can address all of these issues.”

Stoner said within a year, he expects about 50 people to be in the program.

Kiel Kuroki serves as the veterans treatment court coordinator and spent several years as a mentor for the county's veterans diversion program.

Kuroki, an Air Force veteran, said the criminal justice system is generally difficult to navigate, but those difficulties can be exacerbated when someone is struggling with a substance abuse disorder or other mental health problems.

Many veterans deal with these hurdles, and Oklahoma has more than 300,000 veterans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“These are people who have served our country,” Kuroki said. “The very least we can do is serve them while they are back home.”