The Washington County DA’s Office has been awarded a competitive grant for $750,000, the maximum award, by the U.S. Department of Justice – Bureau of Justice Assistance. The DA’s Office will use these funds to enhance the VTC program by providing additional treatment services to justice-involved veterans and increase substance use testing capacities.
The mission of the Washington County Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) program is to enhance public safety and reduce recidivism by offering eligible justice-involved veterans a sentencing alternative through a comprehensive, judicially-supervised treatment program to address underlying substance use and/or mental health disorders. The VTC program seeks to return healthy, law-abiding veterans to the community using best practices and evidence-based approaches. The Washington County VTC is a therapeutic treatment court designed for offenders whose honorable military service is somehow linked to their criminal conduct.
“We are excited to receive this federal grant that allows us to continue the important work meeting the needs of our veterans. We have seen incredible success with this program by prioritizing principles of accountability, rehabilitation and a second chance, and we hope it is a model for other communities,” said DA Kevin Barton. The VTC program has seen firsthand the urgent need to support those who served our country and now need help in return. The program is designed to give each veteran the opportunity to improve their quality life, and this grant will help participants do just that.
The Washington County VTC and its past and future successes would not be possible without the valued partnerships of the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, Oregon Judicial Department, Oregon Defense Attorney Consortium, Washington County Community Corrections, Washington County Sherriff’s Office, Washington County Department of Aging and Veterans Services, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and our community treatment and veterans organizations and providers. For more information regarding the VTC program, please visit: https://www.washingtoncountyda.org/vtc.