Douglas County District Court announces it has received a $1 million federal grant to establish a new specialty Veterans Treatment Court. The money will be disbursed over four years. The program is expected to start next year with the Honorable Amy Hanley as presiding judge.

The mission is to promote public safety by providing an interagency, collaborative, non-adversarial treatment strategy to veterans in the criminal justice system who suffer from mental health and/or substance abuse issues related to their service in the military.

“Veterans face a number of challenges. Every time we help a veteran with the support they need to return to a law abiding lifestyle, the benefits ripple through their family and our community,” Judge Hanley said. “I care deeply about those who served our country in the military. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this life-changing program.”  

The grant is from the Bureau of Justice Assistance FY24 Veterans Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program and made possible through a Memorandum of Agreement between the Kansas Supreme Court Office of Judicial Administration and the Seventh Judicial District. The grant period is October 2024 through September 2029.

Douglas County’s program will be the sixth Veterans Treatment Court in Kansas. The court is designed to reduce recidivism by targeting the unique challenges facing justice-involved veterans, who often struggle with substance use and mental health disorders related to their military service. A recent Justice Department survey found that an estimated 60% of the 140,000 veterans in federal and state prisons were struggling with a substance-use disorder, while about 25% reported being under influence of drugs at the time of their offense.

The core premise of the Veterans Treatment Court is evidence-based early intervention and intensive treatment to achieve change for the individual and the community. Early intervention has been shown to result in reduced health care and Medicaid costs, fewer hospitalizations, less time spent by treatment and supervision addressing complex interventions, reduced incarcerations and increased productivity for participants.

The Douglas County program will have policies for screening, referral and eligibility. It will operate in five phases with a minimum of 12 to 18 months, use evidence-based supervision practices and establish graduation requirements. It will be similar to Douglas County District Court’s current specialty courts, Behavioral Health Court and Drug Court. Since Behavioral Health Court was started in 2017, 78 individuals have graduated from the program. Twenty-eight individuals have completed the Drug Court program since it was started in 2020.

Many graduates have publicly described the programs as “life-changing” for them and their loved ones. A 2024 Drug Court graduate wrote: “It’s hard, it’s not easy, but the reward is priceless. It’s not just getting your charges dropped or avoiding prison – it’s getting your life back, a job, your family, a place to live, relationships, respect, money and a future.”