Act Passed by Uniform Law Commission

Assistant Dean Emeritus Bob Bailey has served on the Model Veterans Treatment Court drafting committee for two years. At the 2017 annual meeting of the Uniform Law Commissioners, the Conference passed the Model Veterans Treatment Court Act.

The drafting committee was charged as follows:

Veterans’ courts have been created in a number of judicial districts around the United States to ensure that veterans in the criminal justice system receive the treatment and support necessary to rehabilitate them into being productive members of society. Very few states have legislation on veterans’ courts, but many local judicial districts have effectively created veterans’ courts by rule or practice. This drafting committee will develop model state legislation that provides guidelines for the establishment of veterans’ courts while permitting substantial local discretion necessary to accommodate particular circumstances in different communities. Some of the issues that the model act will address include: what subset of veterans are entitled to diversion into a veterans’ court; for what type of offenses is diversion into a veterans’ court appropriate; what rights should victims have to participate in proceedings in veterans’ courts; and how, in general, should veterans’ courts be organized and operated.