Several northern Virginia county departments recently came together to celebrate some veterans who graduated from a program focused on helping veterans in the criminal justice system turn their life around.
Prince William County started the Veterans Treatment Docket in 2020, which is a voluntary program designed to help veterans with mental health or substance abuse disorders by providing an alternative to incarceration by connecting them to different county services needed to rebuild their lives.
Edvin Martinez, a U.S. Army veteran went through the program and said he benefitted from it, according to the county.
“I do appreciate this program,” said Martinez. “This program definitely had an impact on me, because of this, my kids have a better father.”
The treatment docket is supported by a team of representatives from the Prince William Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, public defenders, probation officers, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Justice Outreach Program and the Virginia Department of Veterans Services.
We're supporting our military, which is what this is about,” said Prince William General District Court Judge Wallace S. Covington III at a ceremony held for the new program. “But it's also something that should be bigger, in terms of addressing needs and support for the community.”
Of the 178,000 veterans living in Northern Virginia, more than 48,000 reside in Prince William County, according to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau, and of those veterans, there are about 300 veterans in Prince William facing criminal charges for substance use at any time.
One in every 15 veterans needs substance use treatment, and a significant number of veterans live with co-occurring mental health disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, according to the Veterans Treatment Docket Coordinator, Chris Mayers.
The Veterans Treatment Docket connects veterans to benefits and treatments, such as counseling, housing and VA benefits among other things.
The county said Army veteran Ramon Nieto also came to the program at a low point in his life and that the program also changed him for the better.
“I'm glad to say that I've really, truly been able to get some tools to my toolbox and really meet some great people and just really dive into this and figure out some of the things that have been causing me trauma for years,” said Nieto.
According to the Prince William County website, before entering the program, all veterans must be assessed for their risk, need and responsibility level by Criminal Justice Services and will then attend a clinical assessment with Community Services.
Once approved, they are required to be alcohol and drug-free for the entirety of the program.
To see the eligibility requirements to be accepted into the Veterans Treatment Docket, visit here.
Veterans facing charges in Prince William County General District Court and Circuit Court wishing to join the docket can fill out a docket referral form here. Veterans must volunteer to enter the docket,.
