Stephen Shepherd of Lowell said his responsibilities became less important as his alcohol addiction increased, eventually landing him in court for back child support about a year ago.
The Iraq veteran said alcohol became a way to forget memories of his tour of duty that started in 2005. He said memories included injured soldiers and explosions from bombs.
Shepherd said he has been sober for eight months, something he credits to court-ordered treatment he has been receiving from the Veterans Medical Center in Fayetteville.
The treatment was ordered through the Washington County Veterans Treatment Court. It's a specialized court that offers veterans a chance to have felony convictions expunged from their records in return for completing treatment. The court is similar to drug courts that have been functioning in the nation for 25 years.
There are 83 offenders working their way through programs administered by veterans treatment courts in the state, according to data from the Arkansas Department of Correction. Veterans treatment courts are located in Benton, Cleburne, Independence, Lonoke, Pulaski and Washington counties. Jefferson County is discussing the establishment of one.
There are 197 veterans treatment courts in the nation, said Rhonda Pence, public relations manager for Justice for Vets. She said hundreds more are setting up across the country. She said the first veterans courts started about five years ago.
Cristi Beaumont presides over the Washington County Veterans Treatment Court. She said 16 veterans are enrolled in the program.
A veteran must have a felony conviction to be in treatment court, Beaumont said. She said a majority of offenders have drug charges, but others have domestic-abuse or terroristic-threatening charges on their criminal records.
The veterans are ordered to complete at least one year of treatment through the Fayetteville Veterans Medical Center, Beaumont said. She said the treatment could include mental health services, substance abuse counseling or both. It also includes drug tests twice a week and appointments in court.
"There is a lot more supervision and a lot more contact," Beaumont said about the differences between regular court and veterans court. "You don't punish people for being an addict. You work with them, and you try to figure out how to hold them accountable while praising them when they do good work."
Many of the participants are dealing with trauma from their time in the military, Beaumont said. She said they often don't know that services are available to them at veterans centers.
Shepherd said it was typical for him to get home from work and drink a case of beer.
"I was getting to the point of being a very bad alcoholic," Shepherd said. "I always would kind of joke about it before. I would always say that I was self-medicating to deal with things that happened over there. I was trying to keep the demons at bay."
Between 11 and 20 veterans out of every 100 who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Addiction is often associated with the disorder.
"It was rough to conform back to civilian life," Shepherd said. "You get used to the constant alertness because you never know who is friend or who is foe. You didn't know who to trust. Even though I have been back for several years, that still weighs heavily on your mind."
Shepherd said counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse classes are helping him live with the trauma. Both treatments were ordered through the court.
"I personally feel like it is doing me a lot of good," Shepherd said. "I am not nearly as excitable as I used to be. My wife and children all say that I am doing much better. I have been able to talk to my children. I was not able to talk to them for quite a long period of time because I was too ashamed to face them."
Shepherd is a few months away from graduating from the program. He said it has been "wonderful," but he admits that he was uncertain about it at the start.
Jeff Glover, veterans center justice outreach coordinator, said it is typical to see veterans arrive with plans to complete the program to avoid jail time. As the veterans reach sobriety, their lives start to change.
"We have seen remarkable turnarounds that you might not have expected on the front end," Glover said.
There is an 88 percent reduction in veterans' arrests the year after completing veteran treatment court programs, former Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said during a conference last year. He said two-thirds of veterans who enter treatment complete the program.
Glover credits the program's success to the fact that the courts are flexible. He said judges allow veterans centers to assess patients and create treatment plans for each individual.
Thomas Smith, a judge over the veterans treatment court in Benton County, said the treatment is intense and focused on dealing with the real issues that veterans are facing.
"It is a lifetime change," Smith said. "Not just a short-term change."
Smith said it is important that the court system starts looking for ways to work with veterans as more and more are returning from combat missions.
"So far, I have been impressed with their ability to get stabilized," Smith said about the treatment process. "It takes a lot to get there. It is hard when you are fighting these things. Who ends up here is not who they are."
Prison would be the likely option for many veterans without the court, Glover said.
"We know terms of prison would occur, and treatment would not," Glover said.
Sixty percent of individuals released from prison re-offend, according to data from the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Veteran treatment courts operate under the drug court umbrella.
Benton County and Washington County courts assign veterans to the Veterans Medical Center in Fayetteville.
David Noordzy, veterans center addiction therapist, said 10 veterans have graduated from the two programs so far. He said none of them have returned to the court system. Another 24 veterans are working their way through the program.
"We can treat the veteran on all aspects -- physical, mental and substance abuse," Noordzy said.
Noordzy said the veterans center is able to find housing for homeless veterans along with helping them find employment while they are in the program.
"We are looking at getting veterans off the street," Noordzy said. "Who knows what we are doing for veterans who are suicidal."
An estimated 22 veterans commit suicide every day, according to the federal Veterans Affairs Department.
Pence said connecting veterans to services available to them is the most important piece of the program.
"A lot of them do not know how to be connected to their benefits," Pence said. "These men and women have bravely served this country, and they certainly have earned the benefits."
Metro on 09/18/2014