LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A very special ceremony took place Wednesday for three of our local veterans at the Clark County Regional Justice Center.
They graduated from Veterans Treatment Court, a year-long program that helps veterans facing misdemeanor offenses who are struggling with substance abuse, mental health challenges or both, and connected them with services.
The goal? To help them transition back into civilian life and away from the criminal justice system.
"They end up in the system for one reason or another, and I think oftentimes they're overlooked or just made to be a part of the system," said Judge Harmony Letizia. "If we can take these individuals who have given everything and we can help them and serve them in some kind of way, I think that's a great calling."
Judge Letizia says more than 90% of the veterans who graduate the program don't return to the criminal justice system. Plus, many of the volunteers and service providers have their own lived experience with the challenges these veterans face and say the program is a token to saving lives.
