Hot off the press!
JPO’s inaugural issue of the
Drug Court Review
focuses solely on veterans treatment courts (VTCs) to increase knowledge about VTCs and call attention to areas in need of inquiry or further consideration.
Issue 1
is a curated compilation of four research articles, a practitioner note, and a legal commentary that identify and explore VTC issues. These publications address the Buffalo court’s creation, identification and referral of potential VTC participants from NIJ’s multi-site evaluation of VTCs, procedural justice and probable PTSD among VTC participants, mentorship, the legalization of treatment, and prosecutorial veto. We hope you enjoy and share the
Drug Court Review
’s special issue on VTCs.
Additionally, the
Drug Court Review
is
currently accepting articles
for its Spring 2020 issue on
rural treatment court programs and tribal healing to wellness court programs. Why would these topics be relevant to our VJMH readers? First,
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
participate
in the military at a higher rate and have a higher concentration of female servicemembers than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. Additionally, nearly a
quarter of all veterans (4.7 million)
live
in rural areas. Please share this call for papers to others interested in veterans’ justice and mental health issues and consider contributing an article to this important issue of the
Drug Court Review
.
Dr. Julie Baldwin
Associate Director of Research
Justice Programs Office, American University
|
|
Laura Loucks, Carly Yasinski, Seth Norrholm, Jessica Maples-Keller, Loren Post, Liza Zwiebach, Devika Fiorillo, Megan Goodlin, Tanja Jovanovic, Albert Rizzo, and Barbara Rothbaum
Previous studies have shown the positive effects of Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) in reducing combat-related PTSD. In this study, the authors show that VRT also reduces symptoms of stress in survivors of military sexual trauma.
Richard Hartley and Julie Marie Baldwin
In this article, the researchers examine recidivism in veterans treatment courts (VTCs). The authors also elaborate on their outcomes in terms of policy and practice and discuss the need for more researcher-practitioner partnerships.
Emmeline Taylor, Christine Timko, Alex Harris, Mengfei Yu, and Andrea Finlay
This study compares justice-involved and non-justice-invovled women seeking help at the VA for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Justice-involved women were more likely to receive pharmacotherapy at the VA than women who had not had contact with the legal system.
Janice McCall, Keri Rodriguez, Debra Barnisin-Lange, and Adam Gordon
The authors examined the experiences of 62 veterans treatment court graduates as revealed in their graduation speeches. On average, participants’ views of the program were positive, and they commonly expressed gratitude to the treatment team.
|
|
Practitioner Publications
Highlighting Military Sexual Trauma for Sexual Assault Awareness Month
|
US Department of Veterans Affairs
This 5-minute video gives an overview of the definition of military sexual trauma (MST) and shows viewers how to get help from the VA and local Vet Centers.
National Veterans Legal Services Program
This brief informational handout describes the necessary steps for how a veteran can receive VA benefits for MST. Veterans are also encouraged to call the NVLSP helpline with any questions about the process.
US Department of Defense: Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office
This factsheet summarizes the trends and statistics of MST from 2006 to 2017. It also describes recent research findings and lists future actions to be taken by the VA to enhance MST support.
|
|
Multimedia Resources
(Webinars, Podcasts, Online Resources)
|
US Department of Defense
This 1-minute video debunks three of the top myths surrounding MST and urges servicemen and women to be aware of the realities of sexual trauma. Survivors are encouraged to seek help from the DoD Safe Helpline.
Justice Programs Office at American University
JPO’s newest informational video explains the basic concepts of treatment courts. With its engaging animation style, this video is an excellent tool for educating any audience.
|
|
Executive Order by Pres. Donald Trump, Issued March 5, 2019
President Trump’s executive order calls for more coordinated efforts to end veteran suicides in the US. The order establishes the Veteran Wellness, Empowerment, and Suicide Prevention Task Force and gives a deadline of one year for the creation of a national roadmap and suicide research plan.
|
|
Make Plans! Upcoming Events Notice
April Events
|
|
April 5, 2019 – Burlington, WA
April 10, 2019 – Fort Pierce, FL
April 12, 2019 – Hickory, NC
April 13, 2019 – Sarasota, FL
April 17, 2019 – North Platte, NE
April 17, 2019 – Las Vegas, NV
April 20, 2019 – Tacoma, WA
April 26 - 27, 2019 – Oakhurst, CA
April 27, 2019 – Bremerton, WA
April 27, 2019 – Hollywood, CA
April 27, 2019 – Safford, AZ
|
Contribute to the Next Issue
|
To submit content for the next issue of this newsletter, please email
ndcrc@american.edu with "Veterans’ Justice and Mental Health Newsletter” in the subject line.
|
|
Our mission is to inform policy, practice, and scholarship through the distribution of current veterans treatment court-related resources.
|
|
The
National Drug Court Resource, Policy, and Evidence-Based Practice Center
, funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and operated by the Justice Programs Office (JPO) at American University, strives to provide practitioners and professionals working in the drug court field with current resources and upcoming events.
Please email
ndcrc@american.edu
with any inquiries.
|
|
National Drug Court Resource Center | Justice Programs Office
ndcrc.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
