By Rick Montgomery
Fifteen military veterans who broke the law in civilian life applauded and fist-bumped one another last month as they stepped one by one to the bench of a Kansas City municipal judge.
Theyāre in various stages of completing veterans treatment court.
With more than 250 such programs springing up in 40 states around the nation since 2008, itās an alternative to jail for some offenders whose drug habits, injuries or stress related to military service may have contributed to their scrapes with police.
About 80 veterans on the Missouri side of the metro are currently enrolled in monthslong treatment instead of sitting behind bars or having convictions on their records.Ā Many are thankful they didnāt screw up west of the state line.
In Kansas ā home to three large military posts and about 220,000 veterans ā no veterans treatment courts exist. Plans are underway to launch one in Johnson County, however, and a committee ordered by the Kansas Supreme Court formed recently to propose standards and to study costs.
The Sunflower Stateās delay in adopting a rehabilitation program thatās hailed elsewhere, including in three of the four states bordering Kansas, puzzles retired Army Major Gen. Clyde Tate, a former Kansan and senior fellow with the advocacy group Justice for Vets.
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