Denton County's Veterans Treatment Court, which offers former and active-duty service members a path to treatment instead of a criminal conviction, stands to grow by about 40% with a federal grant on the Commissioners Court agenda for Tuesday, Nov. 17.
The U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance approved the $993,920 award on Oct. 22, according to the award letter in the agenda packet. It pays $248,480 a year for four years, covering county fiscal years 2027 through 2030, and requires no county match. No positions are funded. The county has 45 days from the award date to formally accept it.
What the money adds
The project description in the award says the court will expand from 50 to 70 participants by creating a second court docket. The grant would also widen the treatment on offer, including cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy and substance use treatment, along with more case management, better screening and closer drug and alcohol monitoring.
A memo from Judge Forrest Beadle of County Criminal Court No. 3, who oversees the veterans court, says the money will also pay for trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy, testing, ignition interlock devices and an outside evaluation of whether the program needs a case management system to track participants and results.
How the court works
The program is for adults who are serving or have served in the military and are charged with misdemeanors or low-level felonies. Participants spend roughly nine to 24 months under court supervision, with regular court dates, testing, individual and group counseling, life skills and education programs, and family counseling, coordinated with the Veterans Administration and community partners. Those who miss requirements face sanctions.
Those who finish every phase may have their charges dismissed.
