Tony Baker and Travis Ostrom talking about the North Dakota Veterans Treatment Court on WDAY Radio's "The Coffee Club".
NORTH DAKOTA – There is an option for veterans living in North Dakota facing criminal charges to get clean and sober.
Veterans Treatment Court is available in Cass and Grand Forks counties, but veterans living anywhere in the state can take part in the program.
To do so, they must not be charged with a violent offense or sex crime and need to plead guilty. They also have to commit to a minimum of one year in the program.
“It helps the veteran get focused and realize that there’s a team of people that are there to help them and see that new path forward,” Veterans Treatment Court mentor and Cass County Veterans Service Officer Tony Baker said on WDAY Radio’s “The Coffee Club”.
“We get them into mental health counseling, we get many of them in the [Veterans Affairs] healthcare system.”
Veterans who sign on to the program receive help from mentors who also served in the military. They provide guidance and coaching.
“There’s just a lot of things that you can’t talk to people who aren’t veterans about. You just can’t. It’s almost too disturbing for them. You go to an [alcoholics anonymous] meeting, see what happens when a veteran says ‘It’s time to do your share.’ Everybody would tell their drinking story. You can’t tell that story, what’s going through your head. It’s too disturbing for everyone,” Sheridan County Veteran Service Officer Travis Ostrom said.
Veterans Treatment Court officials hope the program can be put in place in other cities like Bismarck and Minot.
Click here for more information on North Dakota’s Veterans Treatment Court.
