Advancing the Line: Increasing Empirical Literature on Justice-Involved Veterans

Abstract

American veterans have long struggled with the aftereffects of combat exposure, repeated deployments to hostile countries, and extended time spent away from their families and loved ones. Historically, when veterans struggling with issues such as mental illness and substance abuse, which can be related back to their military service, came into contact with the criminal justice system, they were processed without regard to their unique military experience. Beginning in 2008, however, a new type of problem-solving court, veterans’ treatment courts (VTCs), have been increasingly adopted to target justice-involved veterans to address the distinct issues and challenges they face. VTCs are modeled after the successful drug and mental health court models and, as such, utilize therapeutic jurisprudence and effective intervention. However, they have not been subjected to the same amount of scholarly attention the aforementioned courts themselves have. This editorial introduction briefly reviews past and current research on justice-involved veterans and calls for the continued empirical assessment of VTCs to better understand both their impact and the military population they serve.