OMAHA, Neb. (KeynoteUSA) — Facing his fifth drunken driving offense in 25 years, Robert Jackson of Olathe, Kansas, had a choice: go to court and accept a possible prison sentence, or commit to a diversion program that keeps military veterans out of prison.
Jackson did not hesitate to take the option that would clear the DUI from his record. After all, he had been through U.S. Marine Corps boot camp and Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War, developing the grit that earned him salesman of the year for seven straight years on the job. of the. How difficult could a diversion program be?
“I mean, it was intense. It was no walk in the park,” Jackson said.
Those seeking to give at-risk military veterans the help they need say a new Nebraska law that makes judicial diversion available to some veterans is serving as a model for other states.
The law signed by Gov. Jim Pillen in April makes Nebraska the first in the country to adopt a model recommended by the Veterans Justice Commission, co-chaired by a former U.S. senator from Nebraska and former Pentagon chief, Chuck Hagel.
Until the new law was signed, special treatment programs for veterans had been offered in four district courts in Nebraska’s 93 counties. Under the new law, the diversion program is expanded to all district judges, allowing all criminal court judges to order treatment instead of prosecution for veterans facing nonviolent felonies eligible for parole.
Hagel, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, is all too familiar with the struggles combat veterans face upon returning to civilian life. Hagel served in combat with his brother in 1968, a year in which nearly 17,000 American soldiers were killed in action. Over the years, he has seen the soldiers he served with struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, alcoholism and drug abuse. Some have taken their lives.
Increasingly, many have ended up behind bars. The commission estimates that nearly 200,000 military veterans are in prisons and jails nationwide.
“You know, something’s wrong with that,” Hagel said. “I mean, veterans who served their country in different capacities, obviously at some point in their careers, we are very responsible people. And what happened? “How did they end up in jail, in prisons?”
Much of the answer, he believes, can be found in the trauma exacerbated by the multiple deployments that many military service members made to combat zones during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
In a report released last year, the commission found that as many as 1 in 3 of the country’s 19 million military veterans have reported being arrested at least once. The report recommended that instead of prison sentences, state and federal laws should create or expand judicial diversion,
Now, at least a dozen other states are looking to follow Nebraska’s lead and pass similar legislation, said Army Col. Jim Seward, director of the Veterans Justice Commission. The commission will also track the success of Nebraska’s new state diversion law to determine best practices and any adjustments that could improve it.
“We are in conversations with numerous states across the country that are considering this legislation or preparing to consider it next year,” Seward said. The commission is also working with the National Conference of State Legislatures to push legislation similar to Nebraska’s and will attend the conference’s annual summit in August in Louisville, Kentucky, she said.
Jackson acknowledged that his run-ins with the law stemmed from a drinking problem he acquired during his military service. Missions completed and other achievements while he was in uniform were usually celebrated with rounds of drinks, he recalled. After his service, he continued that pattern while finding success in the working world.
“Every time I win salesman of the month or salesman of the year or if I sold like six cars in one day or something, then it’s time to celebrate,” he said. “Every time I got a DUI, it was always kind of a celebration.”
Jackson successfully completed its diversion program in December. It stands apart from other treatments she has been ordered to participate in, she said.
“I remember being 50 years old and being in rehab with a group of teenagers,” Jackson said. “They’re blaming everything on their parents and all that kind of stuff. That didn’t help me at all. I didn’t want to be there. “I didn’t identify with anyone.”
But at diversion treatment meetings, he was surrounded by other veterans who talked about their time in combat. That not only helped him deal with his own trauma, but also gave him the opportunity to help other veterinarians in the program. That motivated him to continue attending treatment meetings.
“In fact, I still go to them,” he said.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow Keynote USA Local on Twitter.