Cole County officials expect to launch the new Veterans' Court by the end of the year, Treatment Courts Administrator Larry Henry said Monday.
"We're at about a month away - maybe a tad longer," he said in an email. "We're working out the logistics and final details now."
Presiding Circuit Judge Pat Joyce will oversee the Veterans Court, as an addition to the drug and DWI courts she already runs.
She announced the Veterans Court launch a month ago, saying it would be the seventh such court in the state and the second in Mid-Missouri (Boone County's circuit court already operates one).
A news release from the national "Justice For Vets" program noted that, through last week, 197 of the special treatment courts had been launched around the country since January 2008, when the first Veterans Court began in Buffalo, New York.
Veterans Treatment Courts now are "recognized as cutting edge criminal justice reform that saves taxpayer money while connecting veterans in crisis to the benefits and treatment they have earned," the national group said.
In recent presentations, Joyce has noted that the treatment courts may help veterans who are feeling strong personal pressures - including those considering suicide.
"The Veterans Court is a way for any veteran who (has) legal problems," Joyce said Oct. 8. "Instead of treating them normally through the criminal system - where they don't get the services they need - what we'll do is put them into a specialty court where they will have treatment through the Veterans Administration."
Melissa Fitzgerald, senior director for Justice For Vets, said in the news release: "Veterans Treatment Courts ensure that when our veterans struggle with the transition home and become involved with the criminal justice system - due to substance abuse and/or a mental health condition - they receive the structure, treatment and mentoring they need to get their lives back on track."
A 2014 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that more than half of the 2.6 million Americans dispatched to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan struggle with physical or mental health problems stemming from their service, the Justice For Vets reported.
The national group noted the treatment court programs involve cooperation and collaboration with prosecutors, defense counsel, treatment providers, Probation and Parole staff and law enforcement.
Like the Cole County court, many of the Veterans Courts around the country also include representatives of the Veterans Administration and, often, other federal and local agencies.
The Cole County court also plans to work closely with the Missouri National Guard, and local officials believe the new court will be the first in the country to have a relationship with the agency that has both federal and state military duties.
"The tremendous growth of Veterans Treatment Courts is a clear indicator that they are working, and that more must be established to meet the urgent and growing need," Fitzgerald said. "We have made tremendous progress but we must do more to put these life-saving programs within reach of every veteran in need. Veterans fought for our freedom; shouldn't we fight for theirs?"