SAM STOCKARD, Post Contributor
Posted: Sunday, December 7, 2014 12:00 am
Rutherford County is laying the groundwork for a Veterans Treatment Court to provide services for former members of the U.S. armed forces who get caught up in the court system.
With some 21,000 veterans residing in Rutherford and more likely to move here for job opportunities or to seek care at York VA Medical Center, Deputy Mayor Jeff Davidson believes it is important to connect them with local organizations that can offer solutions if they run afoul of the law.
Whether treatment is needed for post-traumatic stress syndrome, mental health or alcohol or substance abuse, veterans need to solve the "root cause" of their problems in order to stay out of jail and lead productive lives, said Davidson, a retired U.S. Army colonel with 30 years of service.
"With a Veterans Treatment Court, we can focus some of these services so the people who need the help most won't fall through the cracks," Davidson said.
General Sessions Court Judge Ben Hall McFarlin, a retired major in the U.S. Army Reserve, has agreed to preside over the court, which could start early in 2015.
"We owe our veterans a lot. They've gone through a lot of tough times to defend our liberties," McFarlin said. "As a veteran, I feel it's important to establish a veterans court."
While he understands the need to be fair and impartial, McFarlin also said he believes this type of court could steer veterans in the right direction and keep them out of jail or prison. It would operate similarly to the county's Drug Court, which puts people through intensive counseling and treatment before they can graduate.
Rutherford County has 26 veterans serving time either in the county jail or the Rutherford County Correctional Work Center, according to Davidson. Some of them will stay in jail because of the crimes they've committed, he notes.
But those who are serving time for non-violent crimes could go through the Veterans Treatment Court to put them through the steps they need to change, he noted.
When those veterans are incarcerated, it affects them and their families, possibly forcing them into public housing or to apply for food stamps.
"Let's do what we can to get them back on their feet," he said.
The county is in the process of replacing Mary Schneider, who ran the Drug Court. Training also must be done in conjunction with drugs courts in Nashville and Knoxville, Davidson said.
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