Spokane Veterans Forum

No veteran stands alone Spokane Veterans Forum works with VET Court to support struggling veterans

By Mike Casey

SPOKANE VETERANS FORUM

In a busy Veteran’s Enhanced Treatment (VET) Court in Spokane, the defendant – a veteran – stood before the judge. The judge asked her for a progress report on her probation.

A year ago, the defendant pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge. She was sentenced to two years' probation. She also agreed to attend the monthly Spokane Veterans Forum (SVF) for the next year, knowing that if she graduated, her probation would be reduced to one year.

Today was her graduation day. Her sentence was completed; she had paid her debt to society and was free to march into full upstanding citizenship. With her veteran volunteer mentor standing beside her, she told the judge, and the other SVF defendants in the courtroom, that after her discharge – after what she’d seen and done and experienced – she had some trouble adjusting to civilian life. She candidly admitted that she had engaged in behavior out of her character, including the misdemeanor.

She told the entire courtroom that because of her frequent contact in the past year with her own personal mentor, who is also a veteran, and her monthly attendance at SVF, she had learned a lot about herself and how to adjust. Her learning was quickly possible, she told the courtroom, because she and her mentor could speak the same lingo from their common military experiences, including both the bad stuff that happens as well as the recall of discipline and character. Her mentor had helped her get herself straight, she said.

She proudly concluded “I am very thankful for this Veteran’s Court and Forum and I promise I will be a mentor. It’s my personal duty to give back to the program that gave me a second chance. I made it. Thank you to my mentor and thank you to everyone working in this program.”

Next on the docket, another defendant, with his volunteer mentor standing at his side, told a similar story. He said that the monthly SVF meetings at the National Guard Readiness Center in Spokane had really helped him during a troublesome readjustment to civilian and family life.

He told everyone that the camaraderie and friendship with dozens of other veterans and mentors, the presence of many social and veteran service organizations and resources, and the shared “chow hall” meal at dinnertime were just what he needed. He added that the two hour-long classes by community, business and university experts on topics like PTSD, finance, psychology, and veterans telling their own “coming home” story, were always practical, helpful, and inspiring.

He finished his statement with, “It is with great humility that I express my deepest

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Magistrate John A. Sampson, III, left, presents a certificate of completion to Darryl Woods during the Jacksonville 4th Judicial Circuit Veterans Treatment Court Graduation Ceremony, on May 6, 2015, in Jacksonville, Florida.

See FORUM, PAGE 7

FORUM

Continued from PAGE 6 appreciation and gratitude for your support, care, and concern. When a member of a community falls, members of the community step in and help the fallen get back up. Thank you for everything.”

These are but two examples of veterans who have had a scrape with the law and found resources to straighten themselves out through the Spokane Veteran’s Enhanced Treatment Court and the Spokane Veterans Forum.

In Washington, the Legislature authorized VET Courts to be a "specialty court" and "therapeutic court," which means “a court utilizing a program or programs structured to achieve both a reduction in recidivism and an increase in the likelihood of rehabilitation, through continuous and intense judicially supervised treatment and the appropriate use of services, sanctions, and incentives.”

While VET Courts are common across the country, a Veterans Forum is unique to just a few VET Courts, notably in Spokane, the Tri-Cities, and Lewiston, Idaho.

The Spokane Veterans Forum is an independent organization that supports eight partner VET Courts in the Spokane region. Established in 2010 as a 501(C)(3), nonprofit organization, the program prepares veteran defendants to take their place as upstanding citizens in society while saving the community the cost of incarcerations. The Forum provides mentorship, educational, therapeutic, and life enhancing services to military veterans who are referred from regional VET Courts. The SVF trains volunteer mentors and matches mentors with defendants. Every time SVF veterans stand up in court, their mentor stands beside them, fulfilling the organization’s promise that “No veteran stands alone.”

Co-founder and Board Chair Fred Aronow says that, after 10 years of assisting VET Courts, “Spokane Veterans Forum has a great track record on reducing recidivism and on suicide prevention as shown through the letters we have received at graduation and in our own local stats. Those are prime motivators of the VET Court movement. “

The VET Court and the Forum work, and they work well for almost all veterans. In addition to the comments of graduates, the VET Court judges also have their own unique perspectives on how the VETCourt and the Forum work together.

Judge Mary Logan, Spokane Municipal Court, says, “The Forum and attendant mentor support program are key components to the success of the VET Court. Every court session the participants mention the contact they have with their mentors, some more in depth than others, but all have expressed deep gratitude for having that support person to help guide them through court and to fill in during the week when life happens– and often maintain contact after graduation. The Forum and mentors are the special ingredient that leads to success.”

Judge Patrick Johnson of Spokane County District Court said, “As the Veterans Court Judge for Spokane County, I have had the opportunity to witness how this program impacts lives, improves lives, and can even save the lives of our veterans.”

Volunteer mentors needed

New volunteers are always needed as mentors. If someone you know is currently serving in the military, is a veteran with honorable or medical discharge, or is a spouse of a military member or veteran, contact Jerry Gutman, at jerrygutman@gmail.com for information about becoming a mentor.

To learn more, visit spokaneveteransforum.org/.

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