Veterans Task Force Field Hearing: Serving Justice Involved Veterans

Leaders from law and veterans services including Representative James Panetta (CA-20) joined the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) on Tuesday, November 10, for the second field hearing of LSC’s Veterans Task Force. General Jim Mattis, former Secretary of Defense and current Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group, provided recorded remarks. This virtual event was scheduled to commemorate Veterans Day.

The first panel, “Serving Justice-Involved Veterans,” examined the most common interaction points veterans have with the justice system. Robin Honeycutt shared his experience as a veteran and a graduate of the Buffalo Veterans Treatment Court, a hybrid drug and mental health court that serves veterans who are struggling with addiction or mental illness by diverting them from the traditional criminal justice system into a specialized court.

In addition to Honeycutt, the panelists included Judi A. Green, Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist, Veterans Health Indiana; Joshua Martini, Veterans Health Indiana client; Chief Blair Myhand, Clayton North Carolina Police Department; Judge Robert T. Russell, Jr., Buffalo Veterans Treatment Court; and Swapna Yeluri, Senior Staff Attorney, Economic and Healthcare Security Practice, Legal Counsel for the Elderly. The panelists identified successful diversion strategies and best practices for reentry planning and services. Stefanie Davis, LSC’s Senior Assistant General Counsel, served as moderator.

The event was livestreamed on LSC’s Facebook page: Facebook.com/LegalServicesCorporation You can follow the conversation on Twitter with #LSCveterans.

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