By Mark Reagan | The Brownsville Herald
A large group of Cameron County veterans showed up Tuesday afternoon at the Cameron County Courthouse for the opening ceremony marking the newly created Veterans’ Court.
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, was on hand as a special guest speaker to usher in what officials are heralding as a step forward in how veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are treated within the legal system due to offenses stemming from their experiences in overseas war zones.
“One of the big differences is the collaboration between the clinic, the DA’s (district attorney’s) office and the Veterans’ Service office,” Vela said, flanked by officials from the DA’s office, the judiciary and Veterans’ Affairs and other agencies. “What we’re going to be able to do is intervene before veterans get adjudicated.”
Veterans’ Court aims to help veterans who commit crimes that can be connected to their PTSD find recovery through counseling and with the support of other veterans.
Assistant District Attorney Evan Robbins, a U.S. Air Force veteran who will prosecute cases in the court, said drunk driving, weapons charges, disorderly conduct, drug possession and assault cases are eligible for Veterans’ Court because they are the crimes veterans suffering from PTSD typically commit.
Vela quoted a judge who presides over the country’s first Veterans’ Court, in Buffalo, N.Y., saying that the courts provide a venue for the criminal justice system to do its part in helping the nation’s veterans.
“Veterans’ Court serves as a way for the criminal justice system to do its part in helping our nation’s veterans to overcome these issues and obstacles in their lives,” Vela said, quoting New York-based judge Robert T. Russell Jr. “In addition to reducing crime and improving public safety, these courts provide the justice system the opportunity to do something proactive to assist those who have served our country to get their lives back on track.”
