At long last our criminal justice system is reaching out to veterans. Yes it is the long arm of the law, but the result is help, not punishment. A small group of veterans’ advocates got together and designed a program to help these vets rather than punish them. This group along with the VA and the courts came up with a different approach to our veterans problems when they return home. This court is open to a veteran who commits a nonviolent offense and lives in Erie County. The City of Buffalo Court is open on Tuesdays, and you need not be a resident of Buffalo. Judges in other cities within Erie County may refer offenders to this court.
“Vietnam vets did not have this kind of service. The system was ill-prepared, and we’re hoping to learn from our mistakes,” said Henry G. Pirowski, a former Marine, social worker and project director for City Court. Working with Pirowski on establishing the court, which will be in session every Tuesday, are Jack O’Connor and David Mann, co-founders of the Western New York Veterans Project. Veterans need the special judicial attention, said Mann, who also works as a Buffalo police lieutenant.” source
The program started on January 15, 2008 and is presided over by Buffalo City Court Judge Robert T. Russell Jr. Armed with a group of nearly 20 veterans who will act as mentors, Judge Russell Jr. sets out to take a proactive attitude towards the behaviors that are landing many veterans before a judge. Post-traumatic stress, emotional/mental health and traumatic brain injury issues are just a few of the underlying problems. When they are mixed with alcohol and drugs a recipe for disaster is created! Veterans have a hard time accepting help let alone seeking it out. A warrior mentality does not lend itself to seeking treatment, something that is viewed as a sign of weakness.
“Russell and his staff started a docket for veterans in January when they realized increasing numbers of them were showing up in court. They counted 300 veterans who came into the local courts last year. "The reality is, we knew we had to do something now ... because soon we're going to have 400,000 coming home," says Hank Pirowski, who heads Judge Russell's staff. He says a lot of the veterans they've seen got into trouble because they were dealing with the aftermath of combat. "It starts out simply from a prescription abuse, to illicit substances, to some type of crime activity to support that [drug] activity, to being arrested, to going to jail," says Pirowski. The court, he says, is Buffalo's way of trying to do right by veterans while also trying to prevent incidents of suicide or violence. Hank Pirowski says he and Russell have thought a lot about the stories of Iraq veterans who came home and then killed themselves — or other people. "If we would have reached that person sooner, would they have gotten to this point and to that charge?" Pirowski asks? "That's a good question. There's a chance we could have." npr
Copyright 2008 MsMarti. All rights reserved.
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