The Free-Lance Star did an excellent job covering the graduation of our first Veterans Court program! Here are highlights from the article.
“Judge Ricardo Rigual worked with other officials from court, law enforcement and community-service agencies to create the Rappahannock Veterans Docket after the judge started seeing an alarming number of veterans in the courtroom, starting in 2013. In many cases, the men and women hadn’t been in trouble until their mid-20s, and Rigual wondered what had caused the change.
When he looked at the defendants’ reports, he saw the problem spelled out in all caps. Many had served in Iraq or Afghanistan and come home with PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or a TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury.
When their injuries led to self-medication, then addiction, then charges of domestic abuse or driving under the influence, it seemed the nation had turned its back on those who had served.
Rigual, a Marine veteran, didn’t want that to happen in his courtroom. He and Wendy Harris, Spotsylvania’s deputy public defender, and others throughout the region worked to form the program that’s called a docket because it’s not a separate court.
Those who sign a contract know they could get their charges reduced, or dismissed, if they complete 18 months of mandatory meetings, court appearances, drug screenings, counseling and treatment to overcome addiction.”
And more:
“Each veteran going through the program is assigned to a mentor. That person stands beside the veteran during court appearances and is available whenever the vet needs help.
Antitori’s mentor is Daniel Cortez, who served in Vietnam and has advocated for veterans. Even though their service was 50 years apart, the two men shared similar thoughts and experiences, Cortez said.
He served as a drill instructor in the Marines after Vietnam and said he instilled the lethal instincts the military requires. He also took lives and saw the impact of mortar shells and bullets on flesh and bone.
Many veterans struggle to deal with the “fog of war,” and some can never let it go, Cortez said. But through programs such as the Rappahannock Veterans Docket, former service members can get past the mistakes they made, he said.
On Thursday, Cortez presented the program a $10,000 check to help cover some of the court costs; the money came from a nonprofit fundraising group he heads called the National Vet Court Alliance. He wants to encourage other businesses and individuals to do the same.
“All the court members are here on their own dime and their own time,” he said. “Nobody funds this court.”