Alternative Adjudication of Veteran Offenders in the United States

Criminal Justice Program Evaluation: Oklahoma County Veterans’ Treatment Court

A growing body of scholarship confirms that many military veterans, especially combat veterans, experience difficulties in transitioning to civilian life. Although the vast majority of veterans manage to overcome these challenges and go on to lead meaningful and productive lives in their communities, far too many veterans become involved with the criminal justice system for a wide array of reasons, many of them service connected (Tinko et al., 2020). The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze the importance of evaluation for criminal justice programs such as the recently implemented veterans’ court in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. To this end, a description of this criminal justice program and the purpose of evaluation for this criminal justice program is followed by a discussion concerning why it would be of importance to the organization. In addition, an explanation concerning the impact of policy on this criminal justice program and a description of the process that should be used to evaluate it are followed by the identification of relevant data that will need to be collected during the program evaluation that would demonstrate the extent of the program’s effectiveness. Finally, a description concerning what may be expected from an evaluation of the veterans’ court is followed by a summary of the research and key findings concerning these issues in the conclusion.

Description of the selected criminal justice program

Established and funded by a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance FY19 Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program, the purpose of the Oklahoma County Veterans’ Treatment Court (hereinafter alternatively “the program”) is to provide veteran offenders with an alternative route to the adjudication of their cases which takes into account their military backgrounds and experiences in formulating appropriate sentencing strategies that include multidisciplinary substance abuse treatment and counseling services using evidence-based interventions, mandatory drug testing and appropriate transitional services to facilitate the return of veteran offenders to their homes and communities (Oklahoma Veterans’ Treatment Court, 2022).

Identification of the purpose of evaluation for the veterans’ treatment court, including why it would be of importance to the organization

Veterans are rightfully regarded as national heroes who have sacrificed much in the service of their county by most Americans, so it is vitally important to ensure that criminal justice programming for this population achieves their intended outcomes. In this regard, it is axiomatic that in order to evaluate and improve anything in a criminal justice context, it must first be measured (Adler et al., 2012). Therefore, demonstrating the effectiveness of the program is also necessary in order to justify its continuance in the future.

Explain the impact of policy on the veterans’ treatment court

When something is made a priority, it is by definition supposed to improve in some fashion. This means that governmental policies that are intended to help struggling veterans recover from service-connected disorders, including substance abusing conditions, are absolutely essential to achieving these outcomes.

Describe the process for evaluating the veterans’ treatment court

The most challenging aspect of evaluating the program for effectiveness concerns the length of time that is involved in most criminal justice cases. Court-ordered interventions may last several months or even years, so evaluating the effectiveness of the program will be an ongoing, iterative enterprise that may require fine-tuning as the process evolves.

Identification of data to collect during program evaluation that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the veterans’ treatment court

The primary quantitative data that requires collection during program evaluation is the recidivism percentage rate of veterans who are adjudicated pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma County Veterans’ Treatment Court. This data will exist along a continuum, but this rate should reflect the specialized treatment that veterans receive in this court and provide a substantial reduction in this rate compared to the general population. Other data that will be useful in evaluating the program include qualitative data such as offender satisfaction levels with various aspects of the program in order to identify opportunities for improvement that could make the program even more effective.

Description concerning what may be expected from an evaluation of the veterans’ treatment court

Optimally, the periodic evaluation of the program should indicate that significantly fewer veteran offenders become reinvolved with the criminal justice system following their completion of the terms set forth by the Oklahoma County Veterans’ Treatment Court. Realistically, though, the outcome of this program will likely reflect the enormous challenges that are associated with substance abuse treatments in any population and it is reasonable to suggest that although the recidivism rate will likely decrease, additional programs of this type are needed to help this population successfully transition to civilian life following years of regimented military service (Stevenson, 2020).