A proposal to establish a treatment-based court for veterans similar to the existing drug and youth court models is under discussion in Kitsap County, in order to accommodate a possible influx of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) misdemeanor offenses.

“We aren’t sure how this would work at this point,” said Kitsap County Prosecutor Russ Hauge, who is himself a veteran and a member of the Veteran’s Advisory Committee. “But it is an intriguing idea.”

Among the uncertainties is how it would be administered, whether it would fall under District or Superior Court, and, perhaps most importantly, the source of funding.

“I don’t know who would pay for this,” Hauge said, “but it makes sense to anticipate all the possibilities of what we might need.”

Drug Court, which runs under the auspices of Superior Court, operates under the assumption that treatment is more effective than punishment. Instead of a one-time court appearance, drug court participants build an ongoing relationship with a judge.

They follow certain rules, and if those rules are broken the offender is dropped from the program and sent to jail.

While drug court has received plaudits for its ability to prevent recidivism, it has faced several funding setbacks.

That an established program with the backing of the community has been unable to secure consistent government support does not bode well for any new venture.

Local interest in a veteran’s court began in response to news reports about a program in Buffalo, N.Y.

Like Kitsap County, Buffalo has treatment courts for drug and mental offenses. The veterans court was established in Buffalo due to an increase in misdemeanors committed by veterans and the expectation that returnees from Iraq would be placed in similar situations.

Hauge said he is unsure about the size and scope of the program.

“I don’t know if we have a significant population of veterans who will benefit from this,” Hauge said. “It may make sense to approach the disposition of these cases with more of a treatment and supportive regime rather than seeking punishment.”

Hauge said he would be against the idea of creating a different set of standards for veterans, so that the law was not uniformly applied.

“It wouldn’t be fair to treat someone differently just because he or she is a veteran,” Hauge said.

This is seconded by Kitsap County Veterans Advisory Board member Fred Scheffler, of Bainbridge Island, who warned against creating “another class of victims.

“It all depends on the caliber of the treatment,” he said. “I’ve seen these programs be abused. We have to apply the same treatment equally, to everybody.” 

While the idea is still in the planning stages, Hauge will give a related presentation about the plan at 5 p.m. today in the Evergreen Room at the Silverdale Community Center.

This event, which is part of the regular meeting of the Kitsap County Veterans Advisory Board, is intended to solicit input as to what the public feels the program might include.

The Kitsap County Veterans Advisory Board mission is to advise the board of county commissioners on issues facing indigent veterans.

For more information contact Human Services Planner Leif Bentsen (360) 337-4883 or lbentsen@co.kitsap.wa.us.