By Mose Floyd | Veterans Treatment Court presiding judge
Veterans Treatment Court is a diversionary court, but unlike most other courts, VTC is non-adversarial.
In my five years as the presiding judge over the Duval County VTC program, it is one of the most rewarding things I have been involved with in my career.
Our mission in VTC is to support veterans and their families through a coordinated effort among the court, veterans services organizations, community-based providers and volunteer mentors to provide them with the treatment they need and have earned.
In so doing, the program is able to improve public safety while leaving no veteran behind. At graduation in almost all cases, the criminal offenses are dropped, the veteran is gainfully employed and he or she has received comprehensive treatment through the Veterans Administration and/or community providers.
In VTC, all parties work together to do what is best for the veteran, but the veteran must be willing to do the work.
The VTC program is a minimum of one year and is not easy because it deals with difficult and sometimes long-lasting illnesses and conditions.
The program is divided into five phases of varying lengths.
The veteran must satisfy a set of predetermined requirements to advance through each of the phases.
Stellar program compliance is rewarded with incentives and sanctions are used to address noncompliance. As the veteran progresses through the program, the requirements on his or her time become less daunting. The first three phases are the toughest, but they can be finished in 16 weeks if the veteran works diligently. If the problems we are dealing with are severe enough, inpatient treatment may be required.
The program works because each veteran is treated individually.
We develop a close relationship with each veteran, who is partnered with a veteran mentor.
The mentor helps to guide the veteran through the VTC program, provides a listening ear and offers wise advice from the first day until graduation.
The basic eligibility requirements for VTC are: The veteran must be an adult resident of Duval County and the veteran can be on active duty, a member of the Armed Forces reserve establishment, have been discharged from the military or be a present or former Department of Defense contractor.
Veterans facing qualifying forcible felony offenses (as defined by F.S. 948.06(8)(c)) are not considered eligible unless their case is diverted prior to the filing of a charging document. If there is a victim in the case, the victim must be consulted as to the referral and potential for the dismissal and/or reduction of the charges.
Veterans must possess a qualifying physical and/or mental health diagnosis, including, but not limited to post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma and/or a substance use disorder. Such conditions must be attributable to the veteran’s time of service in or with the military.
An assessment for VTC eligibility may be requested by contacting the State Attorney’s Office VTC representative, who acts as the gate keeper for VTC admissions. The veteran defendant should email a VTC application along with the veteran’s DD-214 to the representative.
The clinical assessment portion of this process will be completed by a veterans justice outreach specialist from the VA.
If the veteran is on active duty, a substance abuse and rehabilitation program evaluation will be required in lieu of the VA’s assessment.
Based on results in the past five years, the program is working.
Since I became presiding judge, the VTC has graduated 145 veterans. Of those graduates, only 12 have been rearrested and prosecuted, with only five being adjudicated guilty.
That is an extremely low recidivism rate, representing many lives that have been completely turned around, if not saved.
Duval County Judge Mose Floyd leads the Duval County Veterans Treatment Court program.
