Participants Perceptions of Veterans Treatment Courts: A Qualitative Assessment and Systems Model

This qualitative study explores veteran treatment court (VTC) participant perceptions of the judicial processes within the court, their experiences with the judge and other court actors, and the relationship between their military service and criminal activity. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit a sample of 13 justice-involved veterans, who at the time of interviewing, were being adjudicated in a VTC located in the southeastern United States. Semi-structured interviewing was used to capture veteran perceptions of VTC. Five unique themes emerged, while perceptions of court actors and the connection between their military service and crime had three themes, respectively. From these themes, we developed a maladaptive coping model to illustrate the experiences of veterans in veteran courts. The study results are intended to inform policy makers, judicial actors, and veteran service providers as they design judicial responses for veteran offenders.