Study of Veterans Needs and Treatment Courts for the Judicial Council of California

On October 8, 2017, Governor Edmund G. Brown approved the Veterans Treatment Courts: Judicial Council Assessment and Survey (Senate Bill 339), which mandates the Judicial Council to conduct a study on veterans and veterans treatment courts (VTCs) in California. Senate Bill 339 requires the Judicial Council to conduct a statewide survey of VTCs currently in operation; assess counties that do not operate VTCs to identify barriers to program implementation and assess the need for VTCs in those counties; identify alternative resources that may be available to veterans; and recommend the expansion of VTCs or services to counties without VTCs and the feasibility of designing a regional VTC model. Children and Family Futures conducted a statewide assessment of the VTCs currently in operation that includes the number of veteran participants in the program, successful completion and program termination rates, and services available. CFF assessed counties that do not operate VTCs to: Identify barriers to program implementation; Assess the need for VTCs based on veterans services available and the estimated number of veterans involved in the criminal justice system; Identify alternative resources currently available to veterans including other collaborative court programs; and

Explore the feasibility of designing regional model VTCs. The experiences of and services available to female veterans and families of veterans was included in the assessment in counties with and without VTCs. CFF completed a qualitative and quantitative study of counties that operate a VTC and an assessment of counties that do not operate a VTC. A copy of this report is available at https://www.courts.ca.gov/11181.htm