In July the Glendale City Court obtained preliminary approval to proceed with establishing a West Valley Regional Veterans Court, and that process will begin next week.
When the city council returns from its July break with a 12:30 p.m. workshop on Tuesday, Aug. 9, Deputy Court Administrator Cristina Fuentes will present ways to implement a West Valley Regional Veterans Court.
“Nearly 95% of veterans in the criminal justice system have substance abuse issues directly related to their criminal charges. Many of these veterans are also homeless,” the workshop’s agenda item submitted by Fuentes states, before analyzing the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend. “The recidivism rate in regular courts is between 70–80%. In comparison, Veterans Courts nationally report a recidivism rate of about 25%.”
