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Stanford Law School will host a national conference on veterans treatment courts (VTCs), which provide eligible veteran defendants with services and treatment in lieu of jail. The number of VTCs has increased dramatically in recent years with 300 VTCs now operating across the country. The courts are products of state law and, sometimes, county law, and differ widely in terms of eligibility, diversionary procedures, the rule of the presiding judges, and the range of services. Despite the proliferation of VTCs and a general sense of their value, however, there is currently little empirical research on their efficacy, leaving jurisdictions that are considering instituting VTCs to operate without reliable data to guide best practices.
The Veterans Treatment Courts conference will bring together scholars, judges, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss the justification for, and operation of, VTCs. Participants will discuss such topics as the political economy of specialized courts, methods for evaluating the efficacy of such courts, and how to apply or adapt lessons drawn from the broader context of diversionary and treatment courts. The conference reflects Stanford’s commitment to veterans, and its recognition that, as a research institution, it has an important role to play in providing policymakers and the public meaningful tools with which to better serve veterans and their communities.
The conference is open to the public by registration.
Start the discussion online: Tweet at #SLSVets #veterans #courts @SLSPolicyLab.
Please contact policylab@law.stanford.edu for more information. This event is the product of the Stanford Veterans’ Policy Practicum.
(Lunch will be provided on both days.)
Schedule:
Friday, May 6
Check-in begins at 12:00pm at Stanford Law School’s F.I.R. Hall, Room 190.
12:00-12:45pm – Journalist panel with:
- Prof. Bob Weisberg
- Justice Evelyn Stratton
- Judge Stephen Manley, Santa Clara County Mental Health Treatment Court
- Aaron Glantz, John S. Knight Fellow
. Room 180. Journalists should contact Terry Nagel for more details.
All conference panels are in Room 190.
1:00-2:00pm – Presentation of research from the Stanford Law and Policy Program on Veterans Treatment Courts
- Introduction: Dean M. Elizabeth Magill (SLS)
- Moderator: Prof. Robert Weisberg (SLS)
- SLS Veterans Treatment Court Policy Practicum Students
2:30-4:00pm – Panel on “The Political Economy of Diversionary Courts”
What can Veterans Courts learn from other specialized/diversionary courts? Are there lessons from Veterans Courts that could be applied more broadly?
- Moderator: Prof. Joe Bankman (SLS)
- Prof. Nora Engstrom (SLS)
- Commentary from Prof. Anne O’Connell (UC Berkeley Law School)
4:00-5:30pm – Reception for attendees
Saturday, May 7
Check-in begins at 8:00am at Stanford Law School’s F.I.R. Hall, Room 190. All panel events are in Room 190.
8:00-9:00am – Breakfast buffet
9:15-10:15am – Keynote Address: Judge Jeffrey S. Ross, Superior Court, County of San Francisco, and presiding judge of the San Francisco Veterans Justice Court
10:30am-12:00pm – Panel: “Measuring the effectiveness of Veterans Treatment Courts”
How do we measure the effectiveness of Veteran Treatment Courts? Do veterans who go through these courts have different outcomes? At what cost to society and the legal system?
- Moderator: Judge John L. “Jack” Grandsaert (San Mateo County Veterans Treatment Court)
- Maj Gen (Ret.) Clyde Tate (Justice for Vets)
- Justice Evelyn Stratton, Retired (Ohio State Supreme Court; founder of the Veterans in the Courts Initiative)
- Dr. Stephanie Brooks Holliday (RAND Corp.)
12:00-1:30pm – Catered Lunch
1:00-1:20pm – Presentation: “Drafting a Model Veterans Treatment Court Act: An Update from the Uniform Law Commission”
- Prof. Stacey-Rae Simcox (Stetson University College of Law; Reporter to the Uniform Law Commission’s Veterans Court Act Committee)
1:30-3:00pm – Panel: “Determining scope and eligibility of Veterans Treatment Courts”
Who should be eligible for these courts? Should veterans with “Other Than Honorable” (OTH) discharges be eligible? What sort of offenses should qualify?
- Prof. David Engstrom (SLS)
- Judge Stephen Manley (Santa Clara County Mental Health Courts)
- Prof. Evan Seamone (Mississippi College School of Law; Major, U.S. Army, Judge Advocate)
- Brad Adams (Swords to Plowshares)
The conference is open to the public by registration.
REGISTER NOW FOR THE CONFERENCE
Please contact policylab@law.stanford.edu for more information. Journalists should contact Terry Nagel attnagel@law.stanford.edu