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North Dakota's first veterans treatment court opens in Grand Forks

Grand Forks Herald - 5/13/2023

May 13—GRAND FORKS — After years of advocating for North Dakota veterans, the Northeast Central Judicial District formally opened its veterans treatment court on Friday afternoon, May 12.

Presiding Judge Donald Hager, who is also a veteran, led the opening in the Grand Forks County Courthouse, where VTC will be held.

"It's certainly been a long struggle," Hager said. "... It's involved people from all across the state, not just Grand Forks."

Lonnie Wangen, commissioner of veteran affairs in North Dakota, said the VTC has been on his bucket list since 2010.

"This is a big, big day for me," Wangen said. "It's going to be a big day for veterans."

According to Wangen, the first VTC was established in Buffalo, New York, in 2008.

Since then, every state, aside from North Dakota and Vermont, has established a VTC. There are more than 400 VTCs across the nation.

"If it's just one veteran that we save, it's worth all the effort we put into it so far," Wangen said. "I know it's (going to) be a lot more than that. (Buffalo's treatment court is) at a 98% success rate. That's amazing."

Wangen said people in North Dakota and Minnesota raise good, patriotic children. As a result, many young people join the military, where they are taught they can't always be nice.

"They go off and, unfortunately, see and have to participate in things that aren't what they were raised on," Wangen said. "... What we've learned (is) we don't really train them to come back home. ... You go off and do some terrible things. You try to deal with it. You come home, and it's very difficult to become that citizen you were before."

Megan Essig, assistant state's attorney and wife of a veteran, also spoke at the ceremony. She said several veterans often self-medicate and fall into self-destruction after returning home from deployment.

"Convicting them of crimes, and having them serve jail time, does not really address those underlying issues," Essig said. "... Through the judicial system, we can try to help those that have given so much. We can give them a chance to treat their trauma, change their behaviors, and ultimately give them an opportunity for a fresh start."

The VTC's mission "is to promote recovery, stability, and accountability for veterans involved in the justice system through supervision and service-oriented mentorship; therefore improving public safety and civic contribution to the citizens and State of North Dakota."

Those involved in the effort include representatives from the North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs, North Dakota Veterans Service Officers, Adjutant General's office, state's attorney offices, Public Defense Bar, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, ND Job Service, ND Behavioral Health, Northeast Department of Human Services, legislators, judges, North Dakota Court System staff, law enforcement and veterans themselves.

There are five phases for participants in treatment court, which address stabilization, commitment, eliciting change, planning for a successful life and continuing care.

The court is called "VALOR", which is an acronym for Veteran Accountability Leading to Ongoing Recovery.

"There's no free ride, they're still accountable for what they've done in the criminal system," Hager said. "And it's ongoing, that means it's never over, it's never cured and it's never solved for our veterans. So for them, it's a battle that they fight every day. We're all aware of that in this committee. We're here to help them win that one day at a time."

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(c)2023 the Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.)

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