The Buffalo Veterans Treatment Court is a judicial "

veterans' court A veterans' court is a "special court" which is charged with trying cases of minor offenses which involve veterans, particularly those diagnosed with service-related illnesses. The first veterans' court was established in 2008 in Buffalo, New Y ...

" which was first established in 2008 in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, USA, as part of the Erie County court system. The court, which bills itself as a "hybrid drug and mental health court", is considered the first of its kind in American law services, and was established in order to provide a civil court which tries cases involving veterans of the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

, based upon the belief that a large proportion of veterans from present and past conflicts have experienced hardships which are unique to their former service in the military. The current judge of the court is Justice

Robert T. Russell Robert T. Russell, Jr. is a City Court Judge in Buffalo, New York. He is credited with creating the first veterans' court in the United States. A veterans' court is a specialized court designed to accommodate issues that are unique to veterans, s ...

Backing

The court is an initiative of the

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...

(WNY) Veterans Project, Buffalo Police Department, the Buffalo Veteran’s Administration Health Care System, the Buffalo Criminal Courts, the Buffalo Drug and Mental Health Treatment Courts, Erie County Pre-trial Services and the C.O.U.R.T.S. Program (Court Outreach Unit Referral and Treatment Service).

Other veterans treatment courts

The movement for more veterans' courts has developed in other parts of the United States, with the

Monroe County, New York Monroe County is a county in the Finger Lakes region of the State of New York. The county is along Lake Ontario's southern shore. At the 2020 census, Monroe County's population was 759,443, an increase since the 2010 census. Its county seat an ...

Veterans court opening its first session in 2009. There is also a Veteran's Court system in place in Pennsylvania that supports the unique challenges faced by Veterans and works to divert veterans from the criminal justice system towards Behavioral Health support.

References

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External links

Buffalo Veterans Treatment Court

Official website
Erie County, New York