Some participants struggled to identify and secure the resources and benefits they needed during transition. Many also said the generic nature of transition instruction from VA fell short of what was needed to address their individual conditions or circumstances. This was especially acute among participants with complex medical, mental health, substance use, and housing needs.

In general, participants said they wanted and needed more support to help them manage a host of transition-related challenges. These ranged from financial strain and difficulties entering the civilian workforce to limited or complex emotional and social support systems, problems reintegrating with families, and struggles stemming from service-related injuries and mental health and substance use disorders.

Those who sustained injuries described additional challenges with transitioning to the civilian workforce. One noted, “I could have been a cop if I wasn't injured in Iraq, but I was, so when I got out, I didn't know what jobs I qualified for.”

Securing stable, affordable housing was a critical problem for many participants. As one noted, “They make sure you have a place to live when you join. Not when you’re discharged.” Another participant who returned to the U.S. after serving overseas said the high cost of housing complicated an already challenging transition. “One thing that stressed me out was the financial part. I was saving up when I was overseas, just to realize that [things had changed during that time]. Houses had more than doubled in price, things like that. And it was just stressful.”

This sense of disconnection was more intense for those who did not leave the armed services voluntarily; they reported feeling like outsiders both within the military and in the civilian world. One participant said, “I went from having support, people knowing my name and asking me how I'm doing, to phone calls just dropping off. Nobody checked in. A few friends I had on the civilian side just didn't understand exactly what was going on.” Another recalled that, “There wasn't a lot of support, people were pushing me out the door because I was seen as broken now. I couldn't perform my job anymore. So, they didn't need me anymore. I started drinking. I eventually was medically separated, medically retired. Got out of the military, had nowhere to go and nothing to do, and no support.”

Challenging Family Relationships

Participants were often heavily reliant on family members during transition and spoke gratefully about the support they received. “If it wasn't for the support that I had personally, like my wife and my family,” one said, “I would have been in a different place. I would have been homeless.” Another said, “If I didn’t have my family, I would have been sitting in jail.”

Others, however, noted that the complexity of transition and the financial strain of building a new career either resulted in or compounded issues within their family relationships. For example, several participants reported significant marital strain, which often stemmed from and exacerbated existing financial pressures, mental health issues, and substance use. One participant said, “I was having domestic issues with my spouse. And so, once I started going through financial issues with losing my income [after leaving the military], the domestic issues started getting even worse.” These compounding issues resulted in divorce for some participants and domestic violence charges for others.

Struggles with family relationships extended beyond marital difficulties. During transition, participants often lived with significant others, parents, or siblings, many of whom lacked understanding of the traumatic events often common to military service. One participant noted that, “Boyfriends, girlfriends, moms, dads, who may not understand what we’ve been through in combat. And then they get afraid.” For some veterans, these family reactions resulted in interpersonal conflicts, substance abuse, housing instability, and criminal justice system contact.

Entering the Criminal Justice System

Veterans who took part in the listening sessions entered the civilian criminal justice system at varying points in time. Some were arrested during their military service, others during transition, and still others were arrested many years after discharge. More than half of participants described repeated arrests, often for similar offenses. Among participants who disclosed their charges, alcohol- and drug-related crimes were the most common. Other charges included burglary, identity theft, weapons offenses, assault, robbery, and domestic violence. Several participants said that they committed crimes to support their substance use; others said they committed crimes while drunk or high.

As participants reflected on the circumstances that led to their justice-system involvement, they often described intense despair and hopelessness, which they connected to the end of their military career. One participant recounted multiple arrests, saying, “I was in a very ‘could care less’ state of mind. I’m getting kicked out of the Army. Nobody cares about me. I don’t care about me.” Another participant, who had experienced a TBI said, “I knew I was getting separated. I was kind of getting treated like I was worthless ‘cause I couldn’t do any work no more. I started drinking heavily.” A third veteran, who experienced multiple arrests and incarcerations, recalled, “I was just absolutely sick of my life, and was actually trying to overdose on every occasion that I could to end it ... If they would not have incarcerated me, I'm pretty confident I would have died by suicide by cop.”

Several veterans with PTSD recalled being belittled during jail stays by staff members who were also veterans and had little use for those citing trauma as a factor in their criminal offending. One recalled that, “When I was in jail, I had the cops, the jailers, pull me aside and get up in my face. I was damn near naked in a freezing room and they were screaming at me how they, too, were veterans, and they, too, have been diagnosed with PTSD, but they don’t go around breaking the law, so they really felt like making an example out of me.”

In contrast, another participant described the response he received from criminal justice actors who had some understanding of veterans’ issues. Citing one compelling example, this veteran recalled what happened after they tried to provoke the arresting officer in their case into using deadly force. “The cop kind of said, ‘Something’s not right with this guy, he’s not just drunk.’ So, by the time I got to court [after a weekend in jail], the cop had already told the judge something. The judge asked me where I was going with my life, where I’m coming from ... and I told her I was a veteran, I just got out eight months ago ... You could see the lightbulbs going off. At the time they didn’t have a Veterans Treatment Court but they had a diversion program. They said, ‘You’d be a good candidate for this diversion program.’ “

Perceived Benefits of VTCs

Most participants who engaged with a VTC were extremely satisfied. Participants said VTC staff had helped them secure stable employment and housing, further their education, and provide other support. More generally, veterans said VTCs helped them begin healing from their service-related conditions, encouraging them to give themselves a second chance and discover their potential. A common refrain heard in the listening sessions was, “VTC saved my life.”

In addition to praising the high levels of support and understanding from VTC staff, participants said the specialty courts provided connections to peer support with other veterans engaged in the program. Receiving support from peers who understood what participants were going through promoted healing and restoration, participants said. “It's having that camaraderie … being there with your fellow sisters and brothers and hearing their stories in a closed room setting.” Participants also said it was beneficial to see the gains and success of those who had started the program before them. And as they succeeded in the program, they were able to give back to newcomers. One participant described the trickle-down effect this way: When “you become the senior person showing up to the check-ins, and then there's people who are just getting into the program, and you're like you know, shooting a little advice their way. And they're looking up to you. And you could see in their eyes like, ‘Okay, there's hope.’ That is a huge part of Veterans Treatment Court.”

Addressing Needs in a Structured Environment

Aside from the supportive environment they provide, VTCs offered veterans in the listening sessions the means and resources to tackle their challenges. Participants said that rather than simply managing the criminal charge, the VTC focused on understanding and addressing the underlying factors that resulted in that charge. One veteran described the approach as, “Let’s just fix the root cause of why you drink so much.” Many participants said VTC staff went above and beyond for them, actively guiding them step-by-step, to ensure that they had the resources and treatment needed for success. “I had no idea about the resources I had available to me until Veterans Treatment Court, and they saved my life. They put me through all these programs. I self-medicated for, I want to say, a good 15 years at least. I was killing myself and they put me in all these different programs that literally saved my life.”

Participants also commended the accountability and structure provided by the VTCs—elements that those who had served in the military often found lacking in civilian life. Accountability, coupled with support and direction, helped participants set clear objectives and goals, which provided a pathway for personal growth. As one participant said, “You have to remain accountable to someone [in a VTC program]. You’re not just figuring things out on your own.”

For some, the structure of prison life, especially in a veteran-specific housing unit, provided stability and comfort. One participant said prison was “very, very similar to the military … I was able to move around in a space that felt somewhat comfortable, ‘cause it was very similar to what I’d had, and a lot of the other veterans that were incarcerated as well had the same kind of mentality.” Veteran-specific housing units in prison and jail are rare, and few participants had experienced life in such a setting. One described the experience this way: “When they get up in the morning, they do the reveille; they do the taps at night. They have somebody that is commanding–the highest-ranking inmate by honor system who’s the man in charge. … [I]t makes a big difference here. Then they bring in guys from the Disabled American Veterans and they talk to them and say here's some services and things of that nature.” Due to space limitations in the unit, however, not all veterans in the prison were able to participate, this participant said. “if you're not in that mod [unit], you’re not going to hear s**t about anything at all.”

The Decisive Impact of Reentry Support

Among those veterans who had been incarcerated and returned home, many said their success reflected the amount of support they received during reentry. Those who had engaged in a veteran-specific program said connecting with individual speakers or veterans organizations during incarceration was helpful during reentry. These participants talked about how during reentry they worked towards benefits restoration, secured housing in the community, or continued their education. Some were also connected to job opportunities available to veterans.

One participant recalled receiving guidance and other support from a veterans advocate while living in a halfway house post-release. “This guy showed up. ‘Oh, you’re a veteran. I got you. I want you to start going to school.’ ” The advocate then negotiated with halfway house staff to allow the participant to attend the local community college. The advocate later helped the participant secure housing, furnish the new apartment, and reinstate his driver’s license. “He was probably the only person throughout that process that genuinely not only cared but had solutions,” the participant recalled.

For those who had not engaged in veteran-specific programs during incarceration, reentry was more difficult. This was especially acute for female participants, who found little to no reentry support in halfway houses or in their communities. One female participant said, “They didn’t have any reentry opportunities for women at the halfway house where I was at . . . There was nowhere for me to receive help from anyone with anything.”