Thanks to the tenacity of an old Air Force colonel, the generosity of a few local corporations and the availability of a state tax credit program, the Veterans Treatment Court in Lackawanna County has been promised a badly needed six-figure cash infusion.
The Veterans Treatment Court, a branch of Lackawanna County’s Treatment Court, allows qualifying offenders to participate in an 18-month rehabilitative program that addresses root behavioral problems, including mental health and addiction.
The treatment courts offer a potential erasing of charges if participants graduate and stay out of trouble; prison looms for those who get arrested again or fail to meet the stringent requirements.
Because Wy “Goose” Gowell, a court volunteer and former Air Force officer, knocked on doors to solicit funds from local businesses, the veterans court will likely have an extra $170,000 next year. It will be used to help participating veterans reboot their lives, providing for essentials like clothing, rent, transportation and medical care, said Frank Bolock, a local attorney and the volunteer president of the treatment court’s charitable organization.
The court also plans to use the money for things like job counseling for its ex-military members, Mr. Bolock said, as well as therapy and support for their family members.
The largest pledge comes from Peoples Security Bank & Trust, which has promised $100,000, while First National Community Bank, Fidelity Bank and the Keystone Landfill have committed the rest.
Those donors have secured tax credits of up to 80 percent using a state program through the Department of Community and Economic Development, said Gary Baker, the agency’s regional director here.
Mr. Bolock said he hopes to have the paperwork completed and get the money from the companies before the end of the month. The state program requires the court use it by the end of next summer, he said.
Funding is always an issue with the successful treatment courts, said Lackawanna County Judge Michael Barrasse, who oversees them. He said he could triple the number of participants the courts manage with more financial support.
While the general recidivism rate in Lackawanna County consistently hovers above 50 percent, the Veterans Treatment Court boasts an 86 percent success rate, keeping its graduates from relapsing or getting arrested again. Since its inception in 2009, when it was the first court of its kind in the state, 30 veterans have graduated. The court is now overseeing the treatment of 27 ex-military offenders.
Tax-deductible donations to the treatment court can be sent to the Treatment Court Advocacy Center of Lackawanna County at 212 Front St., Clarks Summit, 18411. Questions can be directed to the treatment court coordinator, Barbara Durkin, at 570-496-1736.
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pcameron@timesshamrock.com, @pcameronTT on Twitter