New special court for veterans being established in Grand Forks

Photo by: WDAY Radio Staff
Photo by: WDAY Radio Staff

(Grand Forks, ND) -- A new special court for veterans is being established in Grand Forks.

North Dakota's first-of-its-kind treatment court would target behavior when judging criminal actions by veterans. Veterans treatment court coordinator Kim Higgs expects the court to begin seeing cases late this summer.

Higgs says many veterans struggle with PTSD after returning from long or multiple overseas deployments in combat situations. Higgs says some also struggle with substance abuse and alcoholism and treatment courts are designed to better serve veterans dealing with underlying issues.