Carbon County judge who will preside over a newly established veterans treatment court said the program could be up and running in January.

Common Pleas Judge Joseph Matika said Carbon will be the 20th county in the state to start the program, which is aimed at helping veterans with issues such as mental illness and drug and alcohol addiction get treatment and stay out of the criminal court system.The closest county currently running a veterans court is Lackawanna County.A team including Matika and representatives from the court administration, district attorney, public defender and Carbon County Veterans Affairs offices attended training in Harrisburg and are working to put policies and procedures into place before the specialty court gets off the ground."We want to identify veterans who would be good candidates for the program and get them involved in intensive and extensive treatment to both keep them out of the courthouse and guide them to becoming more productive members of society again," Matika said.Pennsylvania's first veterans court opened in Lackawanna County in November 2009, one year after the first in the nation was established in Buffalo, New York.Veterans among usJust under 10 percent of Carbon County's residents have served in the military.According to Matika, 103 veterans are on supervision in the county, with some having spent time in jail and others strictly on probation.While some of them may be good candidates for veterans treatment court, it is an optional program, which provides its own unique challenge."We look at our veterans as being very strong humans, and they are," Matika said. "But sometimes their dedication comes at a price, and many that come home with post-traumatic stress disorder don't want to admit it because of the stigma attached to it. If we can identify those vets and get them in the program, I think we have a good chance at helping them."Court beginsWhen the program gets off the ground, with the first of week of January being the goal, an open court session will take place every Wednesday morning in front of Matika.Any number of people can identify a potential candidate for the veterans court, including their attorney, a police officer, district attorney or even a family member.Their criminal eligibility to enter the program rests with the district attorney's office, which will take into consideration such things as past criminal convictions.If admitted, they will be subject to two or three meetings per week with their probation officer, community service, mandatory drug testing and weekly appearance in front of Matika."It's not easy and it's not a free ride," Matika said. "The statistics show, however, that this can be successful. Between 70 and 75 percent of those who graduate from the program are not involved with the criminal justice system within two years of graduating. It takes about 18 to 24 months in the program before graduation so it will take some time before we can truly measure its success."Breaking it down to basics, enrollees who follow the rules will be rewarded and those who do not will be punished.In other areas, Matika said, incentives include a gift card, curfew extension or being relieved of some other responsibilities, while punishments may include more community service, additional counseling sessions or even jail if the violation is severe enough to warrant it."The more you do, the more you're commended for it," Matika said, "and the more you screw it up, the more the penalty will be."PartnershipsHoping for a multiagency approach to helping veterans, Matika said the Veterans Affairs center in Wilkes-Barre will be heavily involved in providing treatment and transporting people back and forth from those sessions.Other veterans are also being asked to step up as mentors for their comrades in the program.Veterans won't be the only ones benefiting from the specialized program."Reducing our jail population helps the individual and the county," Matika said. "If we keep even 10 veterans out of prison and out on the streets, that helps in addressing our prison's population issue. We all know how crowded that facility is."The initial costs for the court will be covered by a $100,000 Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency grant that the Carbon County Commissioners secured earlier this year. The grant covered such things as startup supplies, an additional probation officer and part-time clerical staff.While just a one-year grant, Matika hopes that long-term savings will be realized if fewer veterans are continually popping up in the court system and prison population is reduced.Opening a door?Veterans court could open the door to other specialty courts in the future.Groups such as STEP-Up Carbon County have been urging county officials to start a drug court."I'm hopeful that a drug court is coming down the road and hopefully not too far down the road," Matika said. "I think a veterans court is a good first step and that may evolve into a full-blown drug court. Let's get this going first and take it from there."