Buncombe Veterans Treatment Court holds first session

Posted on — Jeff Fobes
Cynthia Breyfogle, director of the Charles George VA Medical Center, and Judge Marvin P. Pope signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Feb. 27 to establish a new Veterans Treatment Court in Buncombe County. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs

The Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court held its first session this week, according to the Buncombe County District Attorney’s office.

Veterans Treatment Court is a voluntary, court supervised, intensive treatment court for U.S. military veterans charged with misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor or felony offenses who are struggling with addiction, mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders (PTSD/TBI). The court consists of four phases totaling a minimum of 12 months. The length of Veterans Treatment Court can be extended, if necessary.

“The Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court was created in response to the growing number of veterans appearing on court dockets who were addicted to drugs and alcohol and/or suffering from mental impairment or trauma,” writes Tod M. Leaven on local attorneys Grimes Teich Anderson’s website. Leaven adds, “By operating a Veterans Treatment Court, Buncombe County is at the forefront of a national movement to give justice-involved veterans the treatment, benefits, and services they have earned.”

There are now about 200 Veterans Treatment Court programs in the country with hundreds more being planned, according to Justice for Vets. A map of treatment locations is viewable here.

Substance use treatment (and mental health disorders) is an integral part of the program. Drug and alcohol treatment includes intensive outpatient treatment, weekly community recovery groups and regular drug screening.

The program was launched officially on Feb. 27 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding. Judge Marvin Pope, who will preside over the court, said, “Buncombe County has been working on this since 2011, and we are proud to be the second [Veterans Treatment Court] in North Carolina.”

The program is seeking peer mentors, who act as coach, guide, role model and advocate for participants as they progress through the process.

For more information, telephone 828.259.6601 or email ricky.l.haralson@nccourts.org. The treatment court is located at 60 Court Plaza, 9th floor, Asheville, NC 28801

 

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About Jeff Fobes
As a long-time proponent of media for social change, my early activities included coordinating the creation of a small community FM radio station to serve a poor section of St. Louis, Mo. In the 1980s I served as the editor of the "futurist" newsletter of the U.S. Association for the Club of Rome, a professional/academic group with a global focus and a mandate to act locally. During that time, I was impressed by a journalism experiment in Mississippi, in which a newspaper reporter spent a year in a small town covering how global activities impacted local events (e.g., literacy programs in Asia drove up the price of pulpwood; soybean demand in China impacted local soybean prices). Taking a cue from the Mississippi journalism experiment, I offered to help the local Green Party in western North Carolina start its own newspaper, which published under the name Green Line. Eventually the local party turned Green Line over to me, giving Asheville-area readers an independent, locally focused news source that was driven by global concerns. Over the years the monthly grew, until it morphed into the weekly Mountain Xpress in 1994. I've been its publisher since the beginning. Mountain Xpress' mission is to promote grassroots democracy (of any political persuasion) by serving the area's most active, thoughtful readers. Consider Xpress as an experiment to see if such a media operation can promote a healthy, democratic and wise community. In addition to print, today's rapidly evolving Web technosphere offers a grand opportunity to see how an interactive global information network impacts a local community when the network includes a locally focused media outlet whose aim is promote thoughtful citizen activism. Follow me @fobes
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3 thoughts on “Buncombe Veterans Treatment Court holds first session”

  1. Roger Pettry

    Would like to talk with someone to get more info. I am a veteran and recently completed a 28 day inpatient at the VA Substance Abuse Unit in Asheville. I am currently living at the veterans quarters on Tunnel Rd. I have a 12/5 court date in Burke County for dui. I have changed my residency to Buncombe County. With appreciation, Roger Pettry 1132.

    • Michael Ferguson

      Roger Pettry not sure is someone has gotten in touch with you, or if you have found the right contacts. If not please give me a call and maybe I can help get you in touch with the right people. My work number is (828) 276-1578 Michael Ferguson Warrior Clan WNC

      • Roger Pettry

        Thank you Michael. My court date is 12/06 in Burke County. Will call you tomr.

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