Bill Text: CA ACR36 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Veterans: treatment courts and treatment review calendars.
Sponsorship: Broadly Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2013-05-23 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 39, Statutes of 2013. [ACR36 Detail]
Download: California-2013-ACR36-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: ACR 36 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 39
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE MAY 23, 2013
ADOPTED IN SENATE MAY 16, 2013
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 9, 2013
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 9, 2013
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Atkins
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Alejo, Ch�vez, Achadjian, Allen,
Bigelow, Bloom, Blumenfield, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford,
Brown, Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fox, Frazier, Beth Gaines,
Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall,
Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder,
Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mitchell, Morrell,
Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson,
Perea, John A. P�rez, V. Manuel P�rez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon,
Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Torres, Wagner, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk,
Williams, and Yamada)
(Coauthors: Senators Roth and Wolk)
MARCH 18, 2013
Relative to veterans.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 36, Atkins. Veterans: treatment courts and treatment review
calendars.
This measure would encourage all superior courts to consider
establishing veterans treatment courts or veterans treatment review
calendars to assist troubled veterans who have service-related mental
health issues.
WHEREAS, Historically, the State of California has honored the
noble sacrifices that members of the Armed Forces have made to
protect our freedoms by providing veterans and members of the Armed
Forces certain benefits and rehabilitative services; and
WHEREAS, California has the largest United States veteran
population in the nation, comprised of approximately 2 million armed
services veterans, which is 12.3 percent of the nationwide veteran
population of nearly 25 million veterans; and
WHEREAS, There are approximately 180,000 Operation Enduring
Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) theatre veterans in
California and 30,000 veterans are returning to California each year;
and
WHEREAS, Studies have shown that combat services may exact a
tremendous psychological toll on members of the Armed Forces who are
faced with the constant threat of death or injury over an extended
period of time; and
WHEREAS, Researchers have shown that a significant number of the
1,600,000 members of the Armed Forces who have served in Iraq or
Afghanistan have, or will suffer from, as a result of their military
service, mental health injuries, such as post-traumatic stress
disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety, and acute
stress; and
WHEREAS, Some studies have shown that as much as 20 percent of the
United States veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are
returning home with signs of post-traumatic stress disorder or other
mental illnesses. Traumatic brain injury often accompanies
post-traumatic stress disorder; and
WHEREAS, Both physical and mental combat-related injuries often
lead to the use of drugs and alcohol to cope with such injuries,
which often leads to encounters with the criminal justice system that
would not have otherwise occurred without the combat-related injury;
and
WHEREAS, The vast majority of returning members of the Armed
Forces do not have contact with the criminal justice system, and most
veterans and members of the military are well-adjusted, contributing
members of society, but psychiatrists and law enforcement officials
agree that combat-related injuries have led to instances of these
service members becoming involved with the criminal justice system;
and
WHEREAS, Recently, 12 percent of OIF/OEF veterans surveyed
reported criminal justice involvement beyond a minor traffic
violation. However, only 3 percent of veterans reported having both
knowledge of and access to veterans treatment courts, veterans
treatment review calendars, or diversion programs from prison
available pursuant to Section 1170.9 of the Penal Code; and
WHEREAS, A goal of veterans treatment courts and veterans
treatment review calendars is to reduce further criminal behavior.
This is done to keep troubled veterans out of prison, if they have
service-related mental health problems and they allege that the
criminal behavior resulted from these problems; and
WHEREAS, It is the purpose of veterans treatment courts and
veterans treatment review calendars in California to enhance public
safety by providing a judicially supervised regimen of treatment
intervention to serve involved veterans with unique mental health
conditions and other problems stemming from military service; and
WHEREAS, As a grateful state, we must continue to honor the
military service of our men and women by attempting to provide them
with an alternative to incarceration when feasible, permitting them
instead to access proper treatment for mental health and substance
abuse problems resulting from military service; and
WHEREAS, The Legislature finds that it is in the best interests of
California citizens to assist veterans and members of the Armed
Forces involved in the criminal justice system who have a
military-related injury. In order to achieve this end, the
Legislature has encouraged the establishment of veterans treatment
courts and veterans treatment review calendars to address the unique
challenges veterans face as a result of their honorable service.
Currently there are 13 counties in California with operational
veterans treatment courts or veterans treatment review calendars;
now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature is not seeking to impart
mandates that would stifle innovation, but instead intends to promote
a framework within which the superior court in each county has the
flexibility to develop a constructive model that works best locally
to achieve positive outcomes; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature encourages all superior courts to
consider establishing veterans treatment courts or veterans treatment
review calendars within their jurisdictions to assist troubled
veterans who have service-related mental health issues to turn their
lives around by identifying them, assessing their needs, connecting
them with needed services, and managing their care; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
