Veterans of the United States military don’t always pick back up where they left off, no matter how long their tour of duty.

Many turn to drugs or alcohol to help deal with the post-traumatic stress of combat. Going on two years in December, Carbon County officials have teamed up to help those men and women get their life back on track through the implementation of the veterans treatment court.

Carbon County Common Pleas Judge Joe Matika and Chief Adult Probation Officer Rick Parsons explained how the program works this week to the Palmerton Area Chamber of Commerce.

“The goal is not just to get the veterans through their period of supervision for whatever the crime may be, but it is to truly bring that individual home again,” Parsons said. “We want to help develop a person who can survive after court. The long-term success of the individual is really the most important thing.”

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rted in January 2017 with the help of a $100,000 Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency grant, the court is now funded through the county budget and allows eligible veterans to work their way through a five-phase program.

“I come from a family of veterans so this was very important to me,” Matika said. “I have a love for our veterans, as we all do. But, I just felt we had to do more.”

The most common participants in the program are veterans who have pleaded guilty or been convicted of minor drug offenses, thefts or other nonviolent crimes.

“A lot of this comes down to dependency on drugs and/or alcohol, and mental health issues,” Matika said.

“These veterans are admitted into the program and there are incentives as well as sanctions. If they do well, they get a handshake from the judge as they move through the phases, or they can get a gift card. Sanctions range anywhere from written essays to staying after court to jail time. My philosophy is we need to give these veterans as many chances as we think they need. Addiction is not something you kick overnight.”

The open court session takes place every Wednesday in front of Matika at the Carbon County Courthouse. There are four different tracks a participating veteran could be on including diversionary, which is similar to ARD in that the person’s record is wiped clean of the offense if they complete the program; incentive, when a person who may have a felony could have that reduced to a misdemeanor; standard, when a person looking at a small jail term could avoid that through completion of the program; and recovery, when someone who has violated probation or parole can complete the program in lieu of jail time.

There are currently 14 people in the Carbon veterans treatment court program.

All but one, a McAdoo resident, is from Carbon. Matika said the first graduation ceremony is set for December.

One of the phases of the program includes veterans seeking employment. Speaking to the chamber, Parsons and Matika urged business owners to consider these individuals for positions.

“These are veterans who have worked hard to get their issues under control,” Parsons said. “They were shot at. They served in our military. The least we can do for them is give them a chance.”

Carbon court is also always looking for fellow veterans to serve as mentors for those going through the program.

“We try to pair the participants up with a mentor from the same military branch and around the same age,” Parsons said.

“They become like a big brother or big sister to that person. We’re always making a recruiting pitch for more mentors. They don’t necessarily have to come to court with the person every week. Just be there for them. Maybe meet at a coffee shop during the week. It’s all about support.”