Judge seeking funding for veterans court in Frederick, Washington counties
May 4—A Maryland District Court judge is seeking funding to implement a special treatment court to handle criminal cases for military veterans who are defendants.
Veterans courts are intensive treatment programs that help veterans accused of usually misdemeanor crimes — like DUI, theft, or possession of drugs — that are typically connected to substance abuse or mental health problems.
District Court Judge Eric Schaffer told Frederick County's Veterans Advisory Council last month that he found a need for such a court in Frederick and Washington counties, which make up District 11, after a roughly three-month data collection period.
Now, he's looking to request $250,000 to $300,000 from the Maryland Judiciary's budget for funding.
"I'm cautiously optimistic, but any time you deal with the government budget, they can just say no," he told the Veterans Advisory Council.
Schaffer said he tracked all people who were arrested and taken to central booking during a three-month period to see how many veterans were processed in District 11 and for what crimes.
In Frederick County, 7% of the people taken to central booking identified as veterans. In Washington County, it was 6%.
There was a total of 52 veterans in the two counties, he said.
Those percentages line up with statistics on veterans in the population, he said. Census data shows that veterans made up 7% of the population in the United States in 2018.
Of the 52 veterans, Schaffer said, 88% of had misdemeanor cases. For that reason, he said, it would make sense to have the veterans court in District Court, where most veterans courts, are since the crimes are usually nonviolent misdemeanors.
There are four veterans courts in Maryland.
There is one each in Baltimore City District Court, Anne Arundel District Court and Prince George's County Circuit Court. The fourth is a regional veterans court in Dorchester County's District Court, which serves Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester counties.
Prince George's County veterans court is the only one in circuit court, and handles case involving veterans who commit felonies due to substance abuse and mental illness.
After securing funding from the Maryland Judiciary, the next step will be letters of commitment from the parties that would be involved in a special court — the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office, the Washington County State's Attorney's Office, and the Maryland Office of the Public Defender.
Once Schaffer has the funding and the letters of commitment, he can officially put in an application to be approved by the Chief Justice of Maryland, he said.
If all goes smoothly, a veterans court could be up and running in District 11 by the late fall of 2023.
Frederick County State's Attorney Charlie Smith said he appreciated Schaffer taking the time to collect data to see if there would be enough veterans for a special court.
He said his office will write a letter of support for the application.
Washington County State's Attorney Gina Cirincion wrote in an email that she also supported a veterans treatment court in District 11.
Angela Oetting, District 11's District Public Defender, said in a statement that veteran defendants should have other options from incarceration. A veterans court could be a good option for many of them.
"If a veterans' treatment court is established, we would certainly want to be a part of the planning process and anticipate entering an agreement to provide ... services there," Oetting said in the statement.
Schaffer said he would like to preside over veterans court dockets, alternating between the courthouses in Washington and Frederick counties.
The special court would need mentors, treatment providers and coordinators. Members of the Veterans Advisory Council said were happy to begin looking for people to help.
Follow Clara Niel on Twitter: @clarasniel