Mission Statement
The mission of the Galveston County Veterans Treatment Court is to assist Veterans and their families to become integral and productive members of the community through a collaborative effort, and to honor them and restore their dignity for their selfless service to our country; we shall leave no veteran behind.
Eligibility
To qualify for the VTC a defendant MUST:
- Be charged with a criminal offense: either felony or misdemeanor in Galveston County
- Be a US military Veteran, on Active Duty, or serve in the Reserves, National Guard, or State Guard
- Be Active Duty or
- Currently discharged as:
- Honorable
- General Under Honorable Conditions
- Other Than Honorable Conditions
- Uncharacterized
- Dishonorable
- Bad Conduct
- Dismissed
- Be a resident of Galveston County
- The Veteran must be suffering from a brain injury, mental illness or mental disorder, which can include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or was a victim of Military Sexual Trauma that:
- Occurred during or resulted from the Veterans military service, and
- Affected the defendants criminal conduct at issue in the case, or
- Considering the circumstances of the defendants conduct, personal and social background, and criminal history, is likely to achieve the objective of ensuring public safety through rehabilitation of the Veteran in a manner provided by Section 1.02(1), Penal Code.
Program Requirements
- The VTC program is voluntary and normally (12) months in duration. There are two tracks offered in the VTC program:
- Track 1 – Pretrial Diversion and Track 2 – Deferred Adjudication or regular Probation.
- There is a standard $1000 VTC Program Fee, which takes the place of all fines and costs.
- Compliance with probation conditions as well as treatment is mandatory. The District Attorney has final approval for eligibility as well as Track 1 and/or Track 2 offers. All cases will be reviewed for acceptance on a case-by-case basis.
- Galveston County Veterans Treatment Court does not discriminate based on color, ethnicity, religion, sex, disability, or age, in the delivery of services.
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