Established in March 2010, the Ingham County Veterans Treatment Court is a specialty treatment court designed to assist veterans from all branches of the military who have found themselves involved in the criminal justice system. The goal of the Ingham County Veterans’ Treatment Court is to divert eligible veteran-defendants from the traditional court process to a specialized criminal court docket. These veterans suffer from substance dependency and/or mental illness and are charged with what are typically felony or misdemeanor criminal offenses. With this in mind, the court substitutes a treatment problem solving model for traditional court processing.

One of the things that sets Veterans' Treatment Courts apart from their treatment court counterparts is the Veteran Mentoring Program. This is an essential component of any VTC program, as experience has shown that veterans are more likely to respond favorably to other veterans with similar experiences than to nonveterans. Mentoring is critical to making a deep and lasting impact on the life of the veteran participant.

While in court, the veteran defendant will be assigned a mentor, who will discuss any ongoing problems or issues of interest. The goal of the mentor is to foster a relationship of confidence and trust with the veteran. This relationship helps the veteran to know that they are not alone, which in turn increases the likelihood that the veteran will remain in treatment. This helps the veteran to accomplish their treatment goals and improves their chances for law-abiding behavior in the future.

The court's pool of mentors includes those who have served in WWII, Vietnam, Desert Shield, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The court is in need of mentors from all branches of the service. If you are interested in becoming a veteran mentor and helping a fellow veteran contact him by phone at 517-339-7018 or by email at joncaterino@comcast.net