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Msc Judge Mccormack Giving Speech For Veterans Court Nov 10 In Ann Arbor


t-pain

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Justice Bridget Mary McCormack serves as keynote speaker for Veterans Treatment Court graduation

 

http://courts.mi.gov/News-Events/press_releases/Documents/VTC%20Graduation%20Advisory%20DRAFT.pdf

 

Who: Bridget Mary McCormack, Justice, Michigan Supreme Court

State court judges, administrators, veteran mentors, veteran graduates

When: Monday, November 10, 2014; 3:00-4:30 p.m.

Where: Ann Arbor Justice Center

301 East Huron Street

Ann Arbor, MI 48107

Why: On the eve of Veterans Day, this graduation is an opportunity to recognize the

five individuals who have completed the veterans treatment court program.

Edited by t-pain
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What a wonderful way of welcoming them back! :judge:

 

  What is a Veterans Treatment Court

 

Most veterans are strengthened by their military service, but the combat experience has unfortunately left a growing number of veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.  One in five veterans has symptoms of a mental health disorder or cognitive impairment.  One in six veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom suffer from a substance abuse issue.  Research continues to draw a link between substance abuse and combat–related mental illness.  Left untreated, mental health disorders common among veterans can directly lead to involvement in the criminal justice system.

 

The Veterans Treatment Court model requires regular court appearances (a bi-weekly minimum in the early phases of the program), as well as mandatory attendance at treatment sessions and frequent and random testing for substance use (drug and/or alcohol).  Veterans respond favorably to this structured environment given their past experiences in the Armed Forces.  However, a few will struggle and it is exactly those veterans who need a Veterans Treatment Court program the most.  Without this structure, these veterans will reoffend and remain in the criminal justice system.  The Veterans Treatment Court is able to ensure they meet their obligations to themselves, the court, and their community.

 

WHY A VETERANS-ONLY DOCKET?

 

A Better Understanding 

 

Veterans Treatment Courts allow jurisdictions to serve a large segment of the justice-involved veteran population as opposed to business as usual – having all veterans appear before random judges who may or may not have an understanding of their unique problems.  Because a Veterans Treatment Court judge handles numerous veterans' cases and is supported by a strong, interdisciplinary team, he or she is in a much better position to exercise discretion and effectively respond than a judge who only occasionally hears a case involving a veteran defendant.  A Veterans Treatment Court judge better understands the issues that a veteran may be struggling with, such as substance addiction, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, and military sexual trauma.  A Veterans Treatment Court judge is also more familiar with the Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefit Administration, State Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Service Organizations, and volunteer Veteran Mentors and how they all can assist veteran defendants.

 

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Depends on what they are testing for. Cannabis has been proven to help these EXACT folks. To make ANY attempt to take it away, or even scare some of these people into even THINKING it might be taken away is making things for them worse. They should say they are going to test for drugs and alcohol but not marihuana. Come right out there and say that. Then they might actually be helping these folks with PTSD and brain injuries. Then they can relax and heal.

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We're all still suffering from that "War" that our Traitorous 37th President unleashed on the World.  [ our infamous Drug War ] After handing Chairman Mao our victory in Vietnam and essentially the keys to Ft Knox, veterans were held responsible for attrocious acts of war after they came home. Not an easy task, since that was where the "Drug War " started. No veterans were allowed back to the USA without clean fluids.  Thanks Dick

 

I used to listen this song back then ... seemed to have some kinda significant meaning, to me, back when...my minds playing tricks on me? maybe...

 

Wow here they were making it way back when... song starts@1:23

    

 


I would call it victim relief/intermediation. Congratulations to the graduates and to the judges, thanks for showing some compassion.  Good luck with your speech! 

 

Edited by solabeirtan
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Sounds like nonsense to me.

Me too.

I had the misfortune of residing in the infamous Building 39 in VAMC Battle Creek.

That place is a nightmare.  The criminals running it should be behind bars and the "doctors" need to be fired and prohibited from the practice of medicine for the rest of their lives.  Seriously, the "doctors" were some of the most mentally deranged people I've ever met.  And to be beholden to them--!

I lied my arse off and pretended to be well to escape--because I knew that if I stayed there, by hook or crook I would find a way to kill myself.

I can't imagine doing this on top of court appearances!

It's moo poo, the same as so-called "drug courts" are moo poo.  Just another way for the money-grubbing state of Michigan to rake in more fund$ by screwing us vets over.

Thank$ Michigan, but no thank$.  :butt2:

Okay, rant over.

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this is for missouri, but probably similar to all vtc around the country.http://www.courts.mo.gov/hosted/circuit13/documents/ASC_VeteransCourtHandbook.pdfAll participants must have been determined to require substance abuse treatment and/or have a diagnosed mental health condition. The Veterans Treatment Court maybe a voluntary program or ordered as a condition of probation. Participation includes regular court appearances before the Veterans Treatment Court Judge and treatment, which includes drug testing, individual counseling and group counseling provided by Truman VA Hospital. The participant is also expected to meetwith a mentor, obtain and maintain employment or involvement in vocational or educational programs, and is required to attend 12-step meetings (Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous). The length of the Veterans Treatment Court Program is determined by each participant’s progress and will be a minimum of one year and no longer than two years.looks like they took the bs alcohol anonamous' 'you're sick, you need our help, and our rehab' and turned it into a rehab treatment center scheme.

 

I must not use any medication without prior consent. All medication over the counter or prescribed by a physician must be authorized prior to being taken. Participants are strictly prohibited from taking over-the-counter medications other than the ones found on the approved medication list provided in this manual. (See Authorized Over the Counter Medication Handout)

 

All medications prescribed MUST BE APPROVED BY THE VETERANS TREATMENT COURT BEFORE THEY ARE TAKEN.
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heres a look at what the veterans court is like

http://blog.mansfieldersperspective.com/mansfield-veterans-court-is-getting-the-business-on-craigslist-must-read/

 

http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/05/25/inside-philly-s-veterans-court/

A white Iraq combat veteran I’ll call Thomas was in jail custody for various charges including drug use. McPhail was asked to take him aside to speak with him and assess his condition. He found a highly stressed young man who was very uneasy in crowds. He had injured his back in Iraq and had been given pain medicine there. When he re-injured his back and his condition got worse, he began to augment his medicine with illegal narcotics. Once this was discovered, he was abandoned by the military and the VA system. It was only a matter of time before he collided with the criminal justice system.

 

http://us-infantry.com/judge-asks-veteran-if-he-killed-anybody-this-week/

Edited by t-pain
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Sorry for your unfortunate luck Wulf and I certainly don't condone these types of practices. I just thought I would relate a 'small' detail in my own VA Health Care.  Which I voluntarily [maybe with a little Family type instigation] partook around 1980 [also without any interference from the Justice Dept! ]. This was an in-house alcohol treatment program that I completed apx 1980 at the old VA in Allen Park. At the time I was eternally grateful for this program and felt quite fortunate that it was available. This was not the case with much of the population who generally were dependant on the penal system only for their medical needs.

 

Fortunatley these days with the advent of Affordable Care, hopefully more medical/scientific help will be available for all.  The next biggest part is to get people to understand that  Healthy People live better lives, especially if their not in jail.   

Edited by solabeirtan
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Me too.

I had the misfortune of residing in the infamous Building 39 in VAMC Battle Creek.

That place is a nightmare.  The criminals running it should be behind bars and the "doctors" need to be fired and prohibited from the practice of medicine for the rest of their lives.  Seriously, the "doctors" were some of the most mentally deranged people I've ever met.  And to be beholden to them--!

I lied my arse off and pretended to be well to escape--because I knew that if I stayed there, by hook or crook I would find a way to kill myself.

I can't imagine doing this on top of court appearances!

It's moo poo, the same as so-called "drug courts" are moo poo.  Just another way for the money-grubbing state of Michigan to rake in more fund$ by screwing us vets over.

Thank$ Michigan, but no thank$.  :butt2:

Okay, rant over.

I would love to hear more from a vet who has been invovled or knows the full story, Im hoping you will share more in this thread and let us hear your view of the whole thing,

 

I personaly am just finding out about this, and I guess I actualy thought if you were a vet and were busted by leo for certain things, You were put into a vetrens only docket and no other court apearences.

 

It is always best to hear both sides of the story, I thank you for your service and look forward to more of your opinion, and if you cant do it w/o alot of emotion than dont worry about it, show your emotion, you are allowed to have feelings good or bad and indifferent!

 

Peace

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If you ain't in a military court,... everyone should be treated the same.

 

That is my issue.  I mean, this is basically "drug court" of course,... except the judge has the VA's phone # which makes him/her an expert!  A judge, not a physician, deciding your medications.

 

Ahh well,... just more nonsense to go with the nonsense of a drug war.

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yea i have to get better

bad bad days and i cant get cannabis to save my f**** life since apparently every caregiver in the state is a making whoopee lying scumbag

doctors experiment with pharm meds is making me confused and pissing myself, literally

so until i wash myself and get back to normal everypony can wait

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Yup. all 25,000 of us caregivers in Michigan are lying scumbags

 

As a CG myself and based on your comments, I'll assume that you'll read everthing I post as a lie, so I'm going to try to give you advice the opposite way I'd normally give someone advice, since you'll assume I'm a lying scumbag and believe the opposite of what I say.  (confusing enough?)

 

1.  Don't spend good money on seeds ordered on-line.  Just go to vacant houses in Detroit, Saginaw, and Flint and look for random seeds in abandonded couches.

 

2.  Growing cannabis indoors is easy-peasy.  Just toss those seeds in a 5-gallon pail of dirt with some dog poop mixed in under a 23-watt CFL in your basement, and in just a couple of weeks, you'll be harvesting top-shelf medical cannabis.

 

3.  If you register as a CG in the State of Michigan, you automaticaly get free electricity.  Some CGs even get a free house.

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Drug court for veterans?

 

Judges and court staff working with the VA  to set-up and maintain a probation-based alternative expugnable punishment for drug related felonies?

 

Sounds like a growth opportunity for the both the State Government's arrest and punishment industry and a Federal Agency whose practices are already under some performance-related scrutiny.

 

Think of the inter-governmental bureaucracy to build and maintain.

 

Think of the meetings.

 

Think of the e-mails to send.

 

Think of the conferences to attend.

 

Think of the manuals to write and the training requirements to create.

 

Think of the tax dollars to spend.

 

Why would anyone want to change the current drug laws?

Edited by outsideinthecold
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Yup. all 25,000 of us caregivers in Michigan are lying scumbags

 

As a CG myself and based on your comments, I'll assume that you'll read everthing I post as a lie, so I'm going to try to give you advice the opposite way I'd normally give someone advice, since you'll assume I'm a lying scumbag and believe the opposite of what I say.  (confusing enough?)

 

1.  Don't spend good money on seeds ordered on-line.  Just go to vacant houses in Detroit, Saginaw, and Flint and look for random seeds in abandonded couches.

 

2.  Growing cannabis indoors is easy-peasy.  Just toss those seeds in a 5-gallon pail of dirt with some dog poop mixed in under a 23-watt CFL in your basement, and in just a couple of weeks, you'll be harvesting top-shelf medical cannabis.

 

3.  If you register as a CG in the State of Michigan, you automaticaly get free electricity.  Some CGs even get a free house.

 

I apologize for characterizing every cg the way I did (I've met exactly two [2] about whom I'm reserving judgment).

(two)

(out of the supposed untold thousands in the state)

(they might actually come through for me)

I never said or thought any of the foolishness you outlined in your post.  Nor have I behaved as though I believed those absurdities.  You know, literally, nothing about my situation or my dealings with caregivers.

I end this post by iterating my apology.  My words were clearly written in a great deal of pain, on top of confusion and frustration--still ongoing--and were unfair.  I'm sorry.

And there went the energy I was going to use to contribute my experiences at VAMC Battle Creek to this thread, per the request of another poster.

I'll try again tomorrow inshallah.

Edited by Wulf Nesthead
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