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MANSFIELD — The Mansfield Municipal Veteran’s Treatment Court is changing lives for the better.
When it started in September of 2009, the court helped veterans with drug addiction, mental illness, alcoholism and domestic violence, Judge Frank Ardis said. It was the first veterans court in the state of Ohio and the third in the nation.
“Since 2010, we have graduated between 250 and 300 veterans from the court,” said J.B. Bond, the court’s intensive supervision probation officer said at Wednesday’s graduation at the Fraternal Oder of Police Lodge #32. “I think that’s absolutely fantastic. I know there are nine of you graduating today and I’m happy for each and every one of you.”
Jeff Hall, Robert Pierson, William Lupo, Colby Whited, Darlene Ice, David Wingrove, Henry Knight, Mark Smith and Jacob Bruder received their certificate of graduation from the program during the ceremony.
“When you’re talking about over 200-some veterans (getting their) lives saved — you had veterans going down the path of alcoholism, drugs, domestic violence. All kinds of problems,” Ardis said. “We had the ability to change their lives. It’s better for them, it’s better for the community. It’s just a change for their lives — better for their families.”
Ardis said the program sees a “high 80’s and 90’s” percent rate of success for the graduates. The percentage is a reflection of veterans who have gone through the program and have no recidivism for at least a year.
“I say that because they (veterans in the program) are disciplined already,” Ardis said. “You can tell as soon as they get to court, they’ve had that discipline and respect. Some of them are done with their addictions.”
Knight said the program has changed his life.
“It (graduating) meant a lot,” Knight said. “I was probably the hardest case they’ve ever had. I’d been a gangster my whole life. I was able to get the help I needed to focus my thoughts on things other than criminal activities.
Knight said the program put him through alcoholism support groups and anger management and stress help.
“I’ve had a lot of things with my son’s mom. She died and I got custody of my autistic son all to myself after not seeing him for four years,” he said. “I just had a lot of stress.”
Knight struggled with his first probation officer, who didn’t know how to “control or manage” him.
“But once I got in touch with J.B., he got me on the right path,” he said. “He spoke to me like a father, not like a friend.”
Those in the program have had misdemeanors, Ardis said of the voluntary specialty court. The court has served people who were dishonorably discharged. The efforts of the court, Ardis said offer multiple benefits to the community.
“It helps them in a lot of ways,” the judge said. “You take care of a problem before it becomes a felony, that’s one. Two, this is an intensified program for the veterans. They have to meet with us every two weeks and meet with their probation officers and so forth. They have to test for alcohol and drugs. So what we have done is modified their behavior. Hopefully by modifying their behavior it keeps them out of future crimes.
“It reduces the jail cost to the community — we don’t have to house those people in the county jail. Plus, people who go to the county jail don’t always get anything out of it, and they just become hardened criminals there. So, we save taxpayers money, and it’s better for society because we out people back out into society and hopefully they are more productive now than they were before.”
George Lindsay, a volunteer mentor for those going through Veteran’s Court said he joined because he understood what the struggles were like. Lindsay said his role is to help make sure the people he works with make it to their meetings and to be a voice when they need dialogue.
“I was in the Armed Forces, and when I got out I needed something to do with my time,” he said. “Where these people have been, as far as with addictions and alcoholism I’ve seen it all. I’ve been through it all. I came to the call to help and to represent. We’ve had over 200 people graduate and 80-something percent (success rate).”
Knight said the program helped him see he needed to remove himself from the problem.
“I’m getting ready to move out of Mansfield back to Akron or down south somewhere to start over,” Knight said of his future. “To get away from the people I used to run with who got me into this trouble.”