Navy veteran Steven Luchessa was charged with drunken driving in May. He has appeared before the court several times, but on Dec. 14, his case went before a new court aimed at helping veterans like him.
The new docket at Monterey County Superior Court will provide therapy rather than jail time to veterans who have gotten into legal trouble driven by substance-abuse or mental health issues as a result of their service in the military. The Monterey County Military & Veterans Affairs Office will front the cost for their treatment.
Monterey County Superior Court Judge Sam Lavorato will preside over the new Veteran’s Treatment Court, and will review cases for this court on the second Thursday of every month in the Salinas courthouse.
If a crime resulted in injury – even if there is a nexus between the crime and the mental illness – the defendant will likely be ineligible to participate in the program, the court’s Administrative Assistant Nona Medina says.
“The courts are here to intervene before their [crimes] get worse,” Medina says.
With this program, judges, prosecutors and public defenders will grapple with a wave of war veterans who have landed in the criminal justice system. This will also benefit the homeless veteran community, Lavorato says, since the treatment program will offer work referrals and assist people with housing needs.
The court will run without grants. Funding will be provided through a multi-agency effort including the District Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, County Health Department, the Sheriff’s Office and the VA.
The court will also offer a mentor program, in which veterans will accompany fellow veterans through the system.
“We are tapping into unique aspects of the military,” Lavorato says. “We are reinstating a sense of camaraderie.”