On Nov. 23, a new court calendar debuted for the justice system in Northern Santa Barbara County—one geared toward offering treatment for veterans suffering from mental and drug addiction issues as an alternative to incarceration.
The previous afternoon, at an inaugural ceremony at Veterans Memorial Cultural Center, Santa Maria Superior Court Judge Rogelio Flores joined community and military leaders in presenting the court, the first of its kind in the county’s history.
“I hope and pray that this effort, this Veterans Treatment Court, [will] be a gift that our team leaves to this community, as I’m contemplating retirement in a few short years,” Flores told the audience of about 200 people.
Flores said the court is patterned after drug courts and mental health courts, which have been instituted in communities nationwide, including Santa Maria, since the 1990s. Its implementation comes in response to the increasing number of veterans in the court system brought in to face charges related to substance abuse, mental illness, and trauma.
The court is a joint effort of the county’s court and probation systems, the District Attorney’s Office, and Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Services (ADMHS).
Drug Court coordinator Amy Lopez of ADMHS emceed the inauguration, which was attended by Santa Maria Mayor Larry Lavagnino, 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino, and Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley.
“When veterans return home, the transition is not always smooth,” Larry Lavagnino said in his keynote speech. “These are good people who return from deployment to cope with the jarring experiences of wartime. … They have seen and survived unspeakable things, then try to adjust to civilian life, often with inadequate resources and support.”
The mayor pointed out that many veterans involved in the court system face unique challenges related to stress and trauma that most individuals in the local population aren’t dealing with.
“I think we can all agree that the right thing to do with our veterans is to figure out a better way to take into consideration the sacrifices and experiences they have made for our country and get them back on track,” he said. “The goal is we are trying to save people’s lives and bring them back to live healthy lives in Santa Maria.”
A board member for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and strong supporter of mental health, Judge Flores has worked to establish drug courts—which consider underlying drug abuse problems of defendants during sentencing—around the country and in Mexico and South America.
Addressing the veterans in attendance and all those who have served in the armed forces, Flores had some final thoughts.
“Thank you for what you do to make this country what it is, where it’s still a place where everyone wants to be,” he said. “Your sacrifice and your service for our country is why we think this is worthwhile, to set aside some time on this calendar and make sure justice for veterans is not some sort of abstract concept.”
This article appears in Dec 1-8, 2011.
