$1.8 million grant will assist with court treatment programs for S.C. veterans

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A four-year grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice is now in place to aid the South Carolina Department of Veteran’s Affairs with funding court treatment programs for veterans.

Director of Governmental Affairs with SCDVA, Candace Terry says the grant money will be used to fund Veterans Treatment Courts in the state’s most economically disadvantaged areas.

“Veterans Treatment Courts give those who served a second chance to make changes to their course through mentorship and other treatment services,” SCDVA Secretary Will Grimsley said.

The Veterans Treatment Court Program Act is in place to divert qualifying Veteran offenders away from the criminal justice system. The purpose is to place them in appropriate rehabilitative treatment programs and combine intensive judicial supervision, mentorship, and treatment services.

“Other states have seen tremendous success with Veterans who have completed the program and are now productive citizens in their communities. We want to ensure the same opportunity for our Veterans in South Carolina,” Grimsley said.

Also, as a part of the grant, the SCDVA will use the new funding to hire a Veterans Treatment Court Coordinator, tasked with working in collaboration with state solicitors, Veteran service organizations, state legislators, and state agencies.

For more information on Veteran Treatment Courts, visit scdva.sc.gov.

Notice a spelling or grammar error in this article? Click or tap here to report it. Please include the article’s headline.