Melissa Bailey Photo
The next time a veteran gets picked up on a minor crime, he or she will get a new chance to skip the slammer and seek help instead.
That’s the thrust of a new law Gov. Dannel P. Malloy applauded in a visit to New Haven Monday in honor of Veterans Day.
The ceremony took place Monday afternoon at the Yale Law School, whose students wrote and lobbied for the law, An Act Concerning Services for Veterans in Pretrial Diversionary Programs.
The law gives veterans accused of misdemeanor charges two new avenues for relief: They can get a second chance to apply for Accelerated Rehabilitation, a jail diversion program usually reserved for first-time offenders. And veterans can now apply for psychiatric rehabilitation, even without a mental health diagnosis.
YLS student Eric Parrie (pictured) and three fellow students took on the case on behalf of the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center. They helped achieve something veterans’ advocates had been attempting for years: To get the state judicial branch to give special attention to veterans’ cases. In prior years, advocates had attempted to create a veterans’ court to handle these cases; however, that effort was seen as too costly and failed to gain traction. Through the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at YLS, students found a way to create a special designation for veterans without the cost of creating a new court. The bill passed in May and took effect Oct. 1.
Gov. Malloy applauded the students’ work and highlighted several recent bills addressing veterans’ issues, including Public Act 12 – 195, which makes it a class C misdemeanor to rip off donors by pretending to represent a veterans’ charity. Malloy signed the bill using a quiver of ceremonial pens and passed them around the room. He also announced the launch of a new website for veterans: veterans.ct.gov.
Why are veterans given this special exception? All citizens should be treated equally under the law, regardless of their past occupation.