Title
Supporting the Ramsey County Veterans Justice Initiative.
Body
WHEREAS, American active, reserve and national guard military veterans have served their Country in numerous wars, conflicts and other traumatic events; and
WHEREAS, many of these veterans return home with the internal wounds of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety, chemical dependency, mental health issues, and other debilitating conditions which may follow a traumatic event; and
WHEREAS, exposure to a traumatic event can indirectly lead to criminal behavior through coping actions such as self-medication or hyper-vigilance, or through direct lineage of a traumatic incident to a specific crime; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota law recognizes the importance of recognizing a veteran's status early in the criminal justice process; and
WHEREAS, jurisdictions across the State are in the process of implementing a Veterans Court Track or already have a Veterans Court Track; and
WHEREAS, Veterans Court Tracks have proven to promote sobriety, recovery, and stability through a coordinated response and collaboration between health care providers, veterans organizations, criminal justice partners, and the Veterans Administration; and
WHEREAS, the Ramsey County Veterans Justice Initiative is a hybrid drug and mental health court track that serves qualified veterans who are struggling with addiction and/or mental illness by diverting them from the traditional criminal justice track into a specialized Veterans Court Track; and
WHEREAS, the Ramsey County Veterans Justice Initiative's target population is qualified veteran offenders charged with misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, and felony offenses that do not call for a mandatory or presumptive prison commitment; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul has jurisdiction to prosecute both misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor criminal charges committed within the City of Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, any successful Veter...
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