13-R157
2013 -- S 0499
Enacted 03/20/13
S E N A T E R E
S O L U T I O N
SUPPORTING
ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE DISTRICT COURT'S STATE-WIDE VETERANS' COURT
Introduced
By: Senators Jabour,
Date Introduced: February 28, 2013
WHEREAS, Since 2001, over two million American military personnel
have been
deployed to
WHEREAS, Rhode Island,
along with the rest of the country, is witnessing the return of
our mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, and sons and
daughters from the field of battle; and
WHEREAS, Rhode Island
despite its small size, has borne a significant share of sacrifice
in these recent conflicts; and
WHEREAS, The call back to active duty status rate of our state’s
National Guard is the
second highest in the entire
WHEREAS, The number of veterans living in
is three times higher than the national per capita
average, and is expected to grow as troops begin
to withdraw from
WHEREAS, The current estimate of service members, who within a year
of leaving
combat will develop psychological and neurological injuries associated
with post traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI), dubbed the
“signature injuries” of the Iraq War,
is between 10 and 30 percent; and
WHEREAS, A 2006 study illustrated the need in Rhode Island for
trauma-related
services for veterans from the Gulf Wars (between 2,019 and
6,183 veterans in need) and other
wars (between 10,794 and 33,054 veterans in need); and
WHEREAS, “No Soldier
Left Behind” is a code which Americans have always been
proud to support and live by; and
WHEREAS, We owe our returning soldiers a similar duty when they come
home injured
or affected in a way that has altered who they are and
what they do, especially if that injury
causes or fuels behavior that puts them into our criminal
justice system; and
WHEREAS, These men and women have volunteered to put on a uniform and
have
willingly followed our flag into potential harm’s way. We now
have a duty to assist these
individuals; and
WHEREAS, The first Veterans’ Court in
the Rhode Island District Court in April of 2011, with
dedicated resources and a specially
designated court calendar; and
WHEREAS, The Veterans’
Court is a treatment court that requires dedication, hard work,
and motivation on the part of defendants, providing
treatment programs which address the unique
challenges veterans face, while additionally providing them with
the tools and insight needed to
become whole again, and ultimately reintegrate successfully
into society; and
WHEREAS, This state has continually supported and funded alternatives
to
incarceration, that stress treatment, rehabilitation, and personal
responsibility while saving
taxpayers the cost of incarceration and additional crime due to
recidivisms; and
WHEREAS, This Senate has
previously resolved and urged the Congress of the United
States to pass legislation that would establish
funding for individual states, including Rhode
Island, to implement recommendations from the
President’s Joining Forces Initiative that would
strengthen behavioral health care systems and supportive
services for returning service members,
veterans, and their families; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED,
That this Senate of the State of
hereby respectfully requests that the Congress of the
SERVE ACT through the
Office of National Drug Control Policy in order to further develop and
implement the District Court’s Veteran’s
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is
authorized and directed to
transmit duly certified copies to the Rhode Island Congressional
Delegation.
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LC01879
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