Tenth Judicial District of TN

                                         Bradley County - 8,377            McMinn County - 4,398

                                         Monroe County - 3,618             Polk County - 1,500

While the criminal court system generally has a recidivism rate often exceeding 90%, recovery court programs reduced the rate to 20-30%; the national average for graduates of VTC programs is less than 10%, and often less than 4% when mentors are used. The VTC helps reduce crowded jails, offers a better chance of recovery for the veteran, helps maintain a more normal “nuclear family” environment for spouses and children, and allows the veteran to become – again – a proud and productive member of society and his or her community.

First Published VTC Study Shows Incredible Success!

The Community Mental Health Journal has released the first published study on Veterans Treatment Court and the results are outstanding. Researchers from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services tracked 86 veterans involved with Veterans Treatment Court, all of whom were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). They found that 89.5% remained arrest-free during their time in the program and concluded that the veterans participating in Veterans Treatment Court experienced significant improvement with depression, PTSD and substance abuse as well as with critical social issues including housing, emotional well-being, relationships, and overall functioning.

The study further concluded that mentoring from volunteer veterans is particularly effective. Veterans who received mentoring not only experienced better clinical outcomes, they reported feeling more socially connected.  

“Veterans reported better treatment outcomes and quality of life over time when involved in the Vet Court,” the study states. “When provided programs and services that fostered recovery, veterans improved markedly on all study measures. Veterans particularly improved when provided a combination of trauma-specific treatment, peer mentor services, and medication. The importance of trauma-specific therapy and positive peer role models may be important for veterans with combat exposure who have re-integrated into a society unfamiliar with the struggles associated with combat experience.”  Access the full study here.

Be a VTC Mentor

If you are interested in becoming a VTC mentor please

Visit a Mentor Veterans Treatment Court for FREE.

Robert Hatley, Tenth Judicial District

VTC Mentor Coordinator

at (423) 337-8486 or complete the

form below.

This is the history of the Knox County Veterans Treatment Court inception and the Knoxville Regional Veterans Mental Health Council (Council) and the motto “all we can do is help”

Judge Cerny provided an email to the Council on December 10, 2014 which was included in the Council’s presentation to the Tenth Judicial District of Tennessee members in Madisonville, Tennessee.

                                                                                 Click here to read Judge Cerny’s email.

            DON’T LET FEAR STOP YOU FROM DOING SOMETHING THAT COULD REALLY POSITIVELY IMPACT YOUR COMMUNITY!!