New Manual Will Help Interested Judges Set-up Veteran Treatment Courts

A new manual is being sent to judges across the state to provide direction for setting up Veterans Treatment Courts.

Western Michigan University-Cooley Law School worked with the state Veteran’s Affairs Agency and the state Supreme Court to develop the guide to help interested judges set up specialty courts to address the unique needs of veterans charged with non-violent crimes.

WMU-Cooley Law School professor and former Brigadier General, Michael McDaniel says Veterans Treatment Courts provide cost savings because rather than putting a vet in jail it puts them through a program that’s paid for by the veterans department.

Currently, Michigan leads the nation with 22 Veterans Treatment Courts. McDaniel says the hope is to eventually have enough regional courts to cover the entire state.