'A second chance for those who served': Program helps struggling veterans find redemption
When U.S. service members leave active duty, the trauma they have accumulated often surfaces and many have difficulty reaching out to others for help, with dire consequences.
In comparison to percentages among the rest of the population, veterans involved in the criminal justice system are over-represented when it comes to substance abuse, alcoholism, unemployment, assaults, domestic violence and conflict, homelessness and some mental health disorders, according to documents from the Florida court system.
A study by the Journal of Traumatic Stress found that veterans with PTSD, compared to those without, are about 60% more likely to end up in the criminal justice system. Veterans represent about 8% of the prison system population.
On Tuesday, six veterans graduated from the Escambia County Veterans Treatment Court and were given a second chance in life. Its mission is to help veterans in need, from substance abuse, crime, homelessness and mental health disorders.
The court, established in 2015, is a voluntary 12-18 month program that diverts veterans with comparatively minor criminal charges out of the traditional criminal justice pipeline and into a rehabilitative system that emphasizes sobriety, recovery, restoration and stability.
When participants successfully complete the program, their charges are dropped.
Judge Gary Bergosh, who assumed the responsibility of the court in 2023, believes these men and women deserve a second chance and can do great things in their lives as his motto is "A second chance for those who served." According to Bergosh, many of them came to the ceremony with their families who also served and they want to make not only themselves but their families proud.
“I think they feel disappointed when they're not living up to what everyone expects from them, and we're all human, we all make mistakes,” Bergosh said. “You give us an opportunity to come back and recapture that honor that they've had and I think once you get that honor back, it just makes you feel so good. And that emotion of appreciation for your family and love for your family comes through.”
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Graduation takes place twice a year in April and October, with six participants this session who were required to attend mandatory treatment sessions, submit to frequent substance testing and to report their progress regularly.
One of the participants this year is Edward VonLochausen, a veteran of the U.S. National Guard who struggled with substance abuse and the separation from his wife, and was arrested with five charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The decision to enter the program was easy because it was either being a felon or going through the program and retaining all the freedoms and opportunities afterward.
Coming out of the courthouse on Tuesday after graduating, VonLochausen reflected on how even through his past mistakes he has gained insight about life. After the program, he said he doesn’t need a coping mechanism to keep himself together and that he has the capability to learn and grow and get a second chance at life.
“It's important for veterans to have help because we're not always given help,” VonLochausen said. “We're already held to a high standard of ‘we can handle it,’ but at the end of the day, we can only handle so much.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia County Veterans Treatment Court offers rehabilitation
