Today we’d like to introduce you to John Roach.
John, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Veterans Treatment Courts were created to help provide treatment for veterans who find themselves involved in a criminal case. Many veterans who returned from service suffer from invisible as well as physical wounds. Invisible wounds would be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, Hyper Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia, Paranoia, etc. Rather than show a perceived weakness by seeking help through a proper mental health provider, they often self medicate through the abuse of prescribed or illegal drugs. Others may have unresolved anger issues. As a result of these unhealthy or illegal behaviors, the Veteran finds him or herself in criminal trouble.
The “regular” criminal justice system is not equipped to handle the unique issues facing veterans. Thus, the idea of a specialized treatment court for veterans was borne. A Veterans Court is a court designed to meet the specific needs of veterans who arrive in court with mental health challenges. While in court, the veteran will receive the appropriate punishment for the crime(s) committed but will also receive intensive supervision and treatment to mitigate the criminal behavior and keep the veteran out of the criminal justice system. In Texas, a veteran who completes veteran court is eligible to have the criminal charge dismissed and his or her criminal charge expunged.
I created the Collin County Veterans Court in 2013. We quickly realized the benefits a veterans court has for veterans but also noticed that many veterans were not provided this unique opportunity because their county did not have a veterans court program. This was more obvious in more rural counties. In 2016 the District Attorney in Rockwall County approached the Collin County Veterans Court about how to create a veterans court in Rockwall. I went to Rockwall and met with the District Attorney, County Commissioner’s Court, Judges and other stakeholders and discussed the benefits of veterans courts. All of these officials wanted to create a Rockwall County Veterans Court. So we came up with the idea that we would create a regional veterans court between Collin and Rockwall counties. This would require me, as the judge, to travel to Rockwall once a month to preside over their veteran’s court. The Rockwall County Veterans Court was started in 2016. This partnership created the first regional veteran’s court in the United States.
The word go out to surrounding counties about the success of the veteran’s court. So, in 2016 Grayson County joined the North Texas Veterans Court, followed by Kaufman and Fannin counties. The North Texas Veterans Court encompasses five North Texas counties covering approximately 4,260 square miles.
When a veteran enters the veteran’s court, he or she is evaluated by our on-staff clinical psychologist who develops a customized treatment plan for the veteran, which they must follow while in court. The Court team also addresses housing, employment, health and transportation issues a veteran may be facing and provides appropriate resources for the veteran to address the needs. The Court provides wrap-around services for each of its veterans. At any given time, there are approximately 100 veterans being served by the North Texas Veterans Treatment Court.
The core group of the veteran’s court consists of the judge, a clinical psychologist, program manager, two case managers and a representative from the United States Veterans Administration. Each Friday, that core group travels to these counties to run the veterans court. Once we arrive, each county has its local veteran’s court team, which consists of a representative of the district attorney’s office, a local defense attorney, a probation officer, a veterans service officer and a representative of the County’s jail. Prior to court, the core team and the County team meet to discuss each veteran’s progress over the preceding month. We discuss any challenges a veteran faces as well as successes the veteran may have had.
Once Court begins, every veteran in that County’s program is present for court. The Judge calls each veteran up individually to discuss compliance with the court’s rules and their specific treatment plans, challenges the veterans may have in their lives, as well as to celebrate successes like a sobriety date, a new job, a birth of a child. If the veteran has failed to comply with the requirements of the court will sanction the veteran, usually with time in jail. We clap and cheer successes. And we are also known to do pushups all together as some motivation and team building.
The individual stories of success are absolutely amazing. I would love to discuss some of those successes needed for the article. The North Texas Veterans Court is the first regional veteran’s court in the United States. It has spurred many other regional courts around the Country. However, it remains as the only regional court who travels to serve the individual counties and veterans. Other regional veterans courts require the veteran to travel to the court. We are passionate and proud of what we do for those who have served.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road to our success has not always been smooth. It takes a lot of work to get so many people from so many different governmental bodies to come together to create something so unique. However, each of the stakeholders we have encountered have always had veterans well-being as their primary focus, which has helped a lot.
Also, funding for such a program is always difficult. There is no way I could run this Court without the appropriate staff. We have received a generous grant from the Texas Veterans Commission each year to make the continuation of this court possible.
Please tell us about North Texas Veterans Court.
The regional concept is what sets us apart from other Veterans Courts. We did not want an artificial line on a map to interfere with a veteran getting help. So we wanted our region to cover as many counties as we could handle.
Another very unique aspect of our court is that we have a clinical psychologist on staff. Before having a mental health professional on staff, we did the best we could with the information we could gather. Having the psychologist interviewing all of our participants, creating a consistent, individualized treatment plan and being accessible to the Court is absolutely unique and invaluable.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in Plano. We moved to Plano in 1973. At the time, the populations was about 17,000. It was a small town. I joined the Marine Corps at the age of 17. I was in boot camp about ten hours after graduating from Plano East Senior High School. I was in the Marine Corps Reserves until I was placed on active duty in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. I loved my time in the Marines but really wanted to become a lawyer. I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Government. I graduated from St. Mary’s University School of Law.
After law school, I practiced civil law. My wife, who I had met in law school, decided to open up our own law practice, which we did. We grew that law practice to one of the largest law firms in Collin County at the time. However, I knew something was missing. I knew that I wanted to continue to serve. I decided to run for judge. I have now been a judge for 14 years. I love my day job. It’s the best job I have ever had and I cannot see me doing anything else. However, being the Presiding Judge of the North Texas Veterans Court has been one of the highlights of my career.
Contact Info:
- Address: North Texas Veterans Court
Collin County Courthouse
2100 Bloomdale Road
McKinney, Texas 75071 - Website: www.northtexasveteranscourt.com
- Phone: 972-548-4409
- Email: brijones@co.collin.tx.us
- Facebook: North Texas Veterans Court
Image Credit:
North Texas Veterans Court, Brennan Jones
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