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Regular Session, 2012
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 105
BY REPRESENTATIVE LORUSSO
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs to study Veterans
Treatment Courts and the feasibility of creating and implementing such courts in the
state of Louisiana.
WHEREAS, military veterans have served their country and this great state; and
WHEREAS, as a result of their service, many veterans suffer combat-related trauma
and experience a higher rate of substance abuse and mental health issues; and
WHEREAS, sometimes, these substance abuse and mental health issues manifest
themselves in criminal acts both great and small; and
WHEREAS, state court judges are joining with local prosecutors, public defenders,
United States Department of Veterans Affairs officials, and local lawyer volunteers to create
courts with veterans-only case proceedings, because they have seen a common thread of
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, head injuries, and mental illness
underlying crimes committed by veterans; and
WHEREAS, Judge Robert Russell, presiding judge of the Buffalo Drug Court and
Buffalo Mental Health Court, created the nation's first Veterans Treatment Court in January
of 2008, in response to the growing number of veterans appearing on the dockets who were
addicted to drugs or alcohol or suffering from mental illness; and
WHEREAS, the widespread growth and early success of Veterans Treatment Courts
has led a number of states to introduce legislation pertaining to veterans in the criminal
justice system and establishing Veterans Treatment Courts, and most recently, California,
Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, and Virginia have passed similar legislation establishing
Veterans Treatment Courts; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 105
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WHEREAS, it is imperative that the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs
conduct a study regarding the creation and implementation of a Veterans Treatment Court
in this state; and
WHEREAS, the study should highlight the increasing needs and advantages for
additional dockets to accommodate Veterans Treatment Courts, to assist in rehabilitating
those service members who will be returning from Afghanistan and Iraq in the immediate
future, and to provide them with the opportunity to live a sober and stable life while
restoring their military honor and their commitments to family and community; and
WHEREAS, any such study of a Veterans Treatment Court program must promote
a non-adversarial approach within its framework and build awareness of the important
advantages to adopting such a court system.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study of
Veterans Treatment Courts and the feasibility of creating and implementing such courts in
the state of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that other entities are urged to participate in this
study, including but not limited to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, the
Louisiana Supreme Court, the Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of
Criminal Justice, the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Louisiana District Attorneys
Association, and the Louisiana Public Defender Board.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE