Judge Sarah Smith
Statistics and Information:
With the ongoing War on Terror, 1.5 million Americans have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. At least
449,000 troops have deployed to a combat zone more than once, many with only a few months rest in
between. Additionally, 20,000 troops have been deployed a minimum of five times
In 2008, Oklahoma ranked third in the nation with its number of guard and reserve troops deployed in
the War on Terror with 3,368 sent overseas (Myers, Tulsa World). Next year, 4,500 Oklahomans with
the 45th Infantry Combat Brigade will deploy to Afghanistan. One in five War on Terror veterans are
reported to have post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and/or depression.
Additionally, the survival rate for War on Terror veterans wounded in combat is 90%. THANK GOD
for that survival rate! Because of advances in surgical care, body armor, improved critical care
techniques, and fast air evacuation, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are surviving their battlefield wounds
at a much greater rate than from previous conflicts. Coincidently, returning veterans are coming home
to the United States with severe wounds.
Sadly, when service members return from the combat zone, many turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with
the horrors of war and in some cases, enter the criminal justice system. Service members and veterans
have a warrior’s mentality and often do not seek help to address their physical and psychological needs.
(While honest in admitting their drug use, I found at least 2 veterans without any food and failing
to ask for help!) The Tulsa Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) diverts non-violent veteran felons and
misdemeanors from the criminal justice system to get them the help they need through a collaboration of
partners.
Generally, a person cannot enter the United States Armed Forces with a criminal background. Most of
the veterans in the Tulsa Veterans Treatment Court did not have a substance abuse problem before
entering the Armed Forces. The trigger causing most of the veterans in (VTC) to turn to drugs or
alcohol is the experience of combat. The Tulsa Veterans Treatment Court utilizes numerous
community partners to provide wrap around services for our participants. Our mission is to provide a
holistic approach to help the veteran in court.
Tulsa Veterans Treatment Court includes a representative from the Veterans Health Administration
to enroll eligible veterans in mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, etc.
The VTC adds direct contact with a representative from the Veterans Benefit Administration to
enroll eligible veterans for disability compensation, pension, vocational rehabilitation, and education
benefits.
Tulsa’s VTC enjoys having a representative from the Oklahoma Employment Security
Commission to help veterans seek employment, job referrals, etc.
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Tulsa Veterans Treatment Court is very grateful to four volunteer service officers representing the
American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Marine Corps
League. These service officers are crucial in helping the veterans in court navigate the state and
federal benefits they qualify for.
Tulsa’s VTC makes direct referrals to the Tulsa Vet Center –Sandy Oxford volunteers as a mentorfor combat veterans, family members, and women veterans having sexual trauma. Larry Fugate with
HSR is our supervision officer.
Other community resources the Tulsa Veterans Treatment Court collaborate with are: local
colleges and universities such as Tulsa Community College and Tulsa Vo-Tech, so veterans are able
to maximize their benefits at these institutions.
Tulsa’s VTC utilizes veteran volunteer mentors that meet with their veteran court participant for an
hour outside of court. Veterans are matched up with a mentor based on branch of service, sex, age and
combat experience.
So far in Veterans Treatment Court, we have helped our veterans receive over $17,000.00 in disability
compensation and pension from the V.A. and numerous veterans are going back to school or
obtaining training on vocational rehabilitation from the V.A. The Tulsa Veterans Treatment Court
utilizes other services and resources from the V.A. to include housing and employment. To date,
the Tulsa Veterans Treatment Court has 64 participants including 13 graduates.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Information
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is the second largest federal organization in the United States
government and is organized into three different branches, the Veterans Health Administration, the
Veterans Benefit Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration. The V.A. has over
278,000 employees encompassing 153 hospitals, 99 outpatient clinics, 135 living community centers,
232 vet centers, 57 veterans benefit regional offices and 128 national cemeteries across the United
States.
As of 2007, there were 23,816,000 veterans living in the United States. Vietnam era Veterans encompass
the single largest component of veterans with roughly 7,884,000. The second largest group of veterans
is Gulf War era, which total 4,996,000. World War II veterans total 2,912,000 and Korean War veterans
encompass 2,961,000. The V.A. estimates that roughly one in four veterans served in peacetime, which
totals 6,077,000.
Veteran Arrests in Tulsa County
For the period 09/15/2008-03/26/2010
Number of vets arrested: 1,988 (some vets may have been arrested multiple times, but they are only
counted once)
Number of vets with felonies: 871*
Number of vets with misdemeanors: 1082*
Number with municipal charges: 680*
Number with federal charges: 69*
*These numbers will total more than the number if vets arrested because:
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1. Each vet may have more than 1 arrest.
2. Each vet may have both a felony and misdemeanor charges included in a single incident.
Average number of arrests per month: 318
Average number of arrests/month including a felony charge: 74.9
Average number of arrests/month including a misdemeanor charge: 132.4
Average number of arrests/month including a municipal charge: 96.3
Average number of arrests/month including a federal charge: 3.9
Most of our veterans are honest about their drug use, but they find it very hard to ask for help. As I
mentioned before, 2 veterans had no food in their home, so our service officers had them work in the
food pantry and take some home with them. I was reading through our evaluations and notes and these
are a few examples I found:
Many had previous suicide attempts before entering the criminal justice system. Several seriously
injured veterans did not seek continuing aid from the VA. These men and women served their country
at the cost of their spouses and children. Nightmares-flashbacks, homelessness and inability to fit back
into society were common.
*Matt Stiner, our mentor coordinator, assisted me with these statistics and is a wonderful resource for our
community.
I need you to help me by encouraging veterans in the criminal justice arena to come to Veterans
Treatment Court to see what we have to offer them. Thank you for your time, God Bless you for your
concern for our veterans!
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