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Q&A
Brooklyn DA Gonzalez discusses veterans treatment courts
6:58:22
ยท
124 sec
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez provides information about veterans treatment courts in Brooklyn and discusses challenges they face.
- Confirms the existence of veterans courts in both Supreme Court and criminal court in Brooklyn
- Highlights the need for more outreach to increase participation in veterans courts
- Explains how discovery reform has impacted engagement in treatment courts
- Emphasizes the importance of veterans courts and the services they provide
Eric Gonzalez
6:58:22
So Brooklyn does, in fact, have a veterans court, both in the Supreme Court practice and in criminal court.
6:58:31
In fact, the veterans court was initiated in Kings County.
6:58:36
1 of the things that I think more outreach through possibly the VAs, hospitals, and others to allow people to come into our veterans court, We've seen just in general in a lot of the treatment parts, in particular in the criminal court, less involvement and less buy in by the people who've been arrested, the defendants, because they have a sixty percent chance of getting their case dismissed, where veterans court or any treatment court requires a further engagement with the legal system to get the treatment and the services.
6:59:22
And so we think that well, I think, let me just say that I think that it is, again, one consequences of discovery reform in criminal court that less people are engaging in mental health treatment, in our criminal courts, in drug treatment, and, yes, even in our Veterans Court Bureau.
6:59:41
I should also say that our Veterans Court Treatment Bureau, in many of these cases, after services are provided and there's been a diagnosis of PTSD or whatever brought the veteran in, these cases are dismissed.
6:59:55
I believe that Veterans Court is incredibly important.
7:00:03
The person who raised me, the person I consider to be my father, my stepfather, was a proud marine, fought in the war, came back.
7:00:13
And I think that these things, these services are not a gift, but are owed to our veterans.
7:00:19
And I I would just want to thank the court for, you know, and for all the funding that we get to provide these services.