Texas Judge and Sheriff Create Specialized Treatment Program for Incarcerated Veterans
MCKINNEY, Texas, November 7, 2018 (Newswire.com) - VALOR (Veterans Accessing Lifelong Opportunities for Rehabilitation) is a groundbreaking program that offers work opportunities and extensive treatment alternatives for felony and misdemeanor Veteran offenders who either face the prospect of incarceration or who are already incarcerated. This program is available for veterans from across the State of Texas. The program is an unprecedented collaborative effort between the North Texas Regional Veterans Court, Collin County Community Supervision and Corrections Department (CSCD) and the Collin County Sheriff’s Office.
The VALOR Program provides Veteran-specific services and programming for offenders who need a supervised, intensive, and structured mental health/addiction treatment program to successfully reintegrate into civilian society. Treatment within the facility includes group counseling related to Post-Traumatic Stress (PTSD), Military Sexual Trauma (MST), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), individual counseling, life/parenting skills, anger management, substance abuse/addiction therapy, Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT), AA and NA support groups, Chaplain services and employment services.
While presiding over Veterans Court I realized that there was a gap in services for Veterans who become incarcerated. Rather than having the Veteran just sitting there doing time, I wanted a way to provide substantive treatment for those struggling Veterans with invisible wounds. There is no doubt in my mind that the VALOR program will be a model for the Country.
John Roach, Texas State Judge, North Texas Veterans Court
The program was created by Judge John Roach of the North Texas Veterans Court. “While presiding over Veterans Court I realized that there was a gap in services for Veterans who become incarcerated,” Roach said. “Rather than having the Veteran just sitting there doing time, I wanted a way to provide substantive treatment for those struggling Veterans with invisible wounds. There is no doubt in my mind that the VALOR program will be a model for the Country.”
The VALOR program is rehabilitation (physically, mentally, emotionally, morally, spiritually) and reintegration focused and is designed to help Veteran defendants develop better decision-making and coping skills, provide them with the necessary tools to enhance their well-being, and assist with their reintegration into society.
In the VALOR program, detained Veterans are housed together, mimicking the unit structure familiar to Veterans. Veterans are surrounded by others who are suffering from similar mental illnesses, substance abuse issues, and unhealthy coping mechanisms and who understand the sacrifice of military service. Putting them together allows them to begin to heal through unit bonding, allowing them to be open and vulnerable and to assist one another. Veteran-specific programming is offered by qualified treatment providers, who have experience working with Veterans or are Veterans themselves, providing an integrative and holistic approach for re-entry based on treatment plans developed by licensed clinicians to comprehensively address their individual needs.
The program will have its opening ceremony on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, at 2 p.m. It will be held at the Collin County Minimum Security Facility located at 4800 Community, McKinney, Texas and will initially be able to treat 15 Veterans at a time with plans to be able to house 30 within the year.
PRESS CONTACT - Brennan Rivera-Jones, 469-974-7731, brijones@co.collin.tx.us
Source: North Texas Veterans Court
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