Trending
A new special court program launching soon in the Lycoming County Courthouse will help veterans who have fallen on hard times.
Presided over by President Judge Nancy L. Butts, the Veterans Court will kick off Jan. 28 to help serve some of the over 14,200 veterans in the county.
The aim of the court will be to provide resources to veterans who have found themselves in legal trouble and give them the tools to turn their lives around, according to an announcement by District Court Administrator Jennifer McConnell.
"Veterans have unique needs that are different from the rest of the civilian population," the announcement said. "The new Veterans Court is intended to provide rehabilitative services for veterans who have been charged with non-violent crimes and have been identified as suffering from mental health conditions and/or substance abuse disorders."
In addition, the Veterans Court also will be putting defendants in contact with the Lycoming County Department of Veterans Affairs to assist in their rehabilitation to "prevent them from serving extended prison sentences and improve their success."
Frank Passaniti, assistant of Veterans Affairs, elaborates that this assistance extends to mental and physical health, drug and alcohol treatment, transportation to and from various locations to receive this help and other resources.
"We have resources from the federal and state level … so if we don't have something, we can call someone and say 'We helped this person on our end, what can you guys help with?' and we can go from there," said Passaniti.
A major factor in the success of assisting the county's veteran population that may need guidance after their service will come in the introduction of mentors provided by the court. These mentors will be veterans themselves and provide the defendants with an empathetic ear when things get rough. Mike McMunn, Veteran Mentoring program coordinator, notes the special bond between fellow veterans than will be key in the rehabilitation.
"The mentors act as a support mechanism. They've found over the years assigning a mentor helps with recidivism, and with their individual problems. Veterans can connect with other veterans and will open up to and be more receptive to advice from fellow veterans. There's just that bond, that trust that veterans have with each other, and if we can build on that, it will work wonders," McMunn said.
McMunn is no stranger in assisting with veterans. After his service in the 60's and 70's, he spent 30 years attempting to make the lives of fellow veterans better once they return home.
McMunn believes the personal impact of the Veterans Court, and especially the mentors they provide, will play a major role in personally affecting the lives in each veteran that may need help.
"It will be a tool to help them through their individual problems and help them get back on track," he said. "The program that Judge Butts has in place is very regimented, so this will put those veterans in more or less a unit, and hopefully they can build on that bond and trust that was similar to when they were in the military."