COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs (SCDVA) has been awarded a $1.8 million federal grant to assist with the funding and standardization of court treatment programs for veterans in South Carolina.
The four-year grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice will help subsidize the cost of administration and establishment of additional Veterans Treatment Courts across the Palmetto State.
In 2014, the South Carolina General Assembly passed the Veterans Treatment Court Program Act to help divert qualifying offenders who are veterans away from the criminal justice system and into appropriate rehabilitative treatment programs that combine intensive judicial supervision, mentorship, and treatment services to address the veteran’s treatment needs.
South Carolina is divided into 16 judicial circuits. Currently, there are six Veterans Treatment Courts in South Carolina. SCDVA Secretary Will Grimsley set a strategic objective to have a Veterans Treatment Court in every judicial district within the Palmetto State and has consulted with South Carolina solicitors, judges, non-profit partners, as well as the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
“Veterans Treatment Courts give those who served a second chance to make changes to their course through mentorship and other treatment services," Grimsley said. "Other states have seen tremendous success with Veterans who have completed the program and are now productive citizens in their communities. We want to ensure the same opportunity for our Veterans in South Carolina.”
SCDVA Director of Governmental Affairs Candace Terry says the grant money will be used to fund Veterans Treatment Courts in the state’s most economically disadvantage areas.