TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Officials in Kansas’ judicial system want to establish more special courts aimed at keeping veterans with behavioral, mental health or substance abuse issues out of prison.
But they are pursing the idea amid the coronavirus pandemic and the state’s own budget problems.
Johnson County established the state’s first veterans court in 2016, and it remains the only one in Kansas. District Judge Timothy McCarthy says at least 40 veterans have graduated from its programs and none have come back to the criminal justice system, The Topeka Capital-Journal reports.
Chris Carter, an Iraq War veteran who coped with alcohol addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder, was one of Johnson County’s first graduates. He once faced a felony driving-under-the influence charge but now owns his own business and has turned his life around.
“It saved my life. I’m not exaggerating when I say that,” he said.
Officials in the state’s court system say there are obstacles. One ensuring access to treatment for substance abuse or mental health problems. Another is finding volunteers to help or money for staff. The state is facing its own budget shortfall.
Former Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss says he’s hoping for federal funding but acknowledges that Washington “has higher priorities right now.”
