HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – A setting where drama and tension more often take place, the Holland District Courthouse held a more festive occasion on Friday afternoon.
State Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Clement was among several jurists from various jurisdictions who honored the two newest graduates of the West Michigan Regional Veterans Treatment Court. Founded four years ago, the regional program serves veterans in the criminal justice systems of Allegan, Ottawa and Van Buren counties through a specialized treatment court docket. “The reason that’s important is because it can serve more people,” Clement said during a Friday morning interview on “WHTC Morning News.” “These two (unnamed) graduates deserved to be honored today for the work that they have done. What I always say is that, ‘This is not the end – this is actually the beginning of the rest of their lives.’”
According to the new Michigan Supreme Court report, “Solving Problems, Saving Lives,” unemployment among graduates of veterans treatment courts was reduced by more than half.
