title: US Veterans' Court Programs: An Inventory and Analysis of National Survey Data.
abstract: This study used data from a phone survey inventory of US veterans' courts to provide descriptive information on the current status of their various elements. To identify which items were most predictive of a court's percentage of subjects terminated from their program, a linear regression was performed. The following were associated with higher rates of termination from the veterans' court (VC) program: (a) programs that offered phase progression based on measurable goals, (b) programs that conduct frequent drug and alcohol testing, and (c) programs for which sanctions are more severe for failing immediate goals (sobriety) versus long-term ones (completion of training). The following were associated with lower rates of termination from the VC program: (a) programs in which later phases permit less stringent testing, (b) programs utilizing behavioral contracts, (c) programs utilizing brief incarcerations. This inventory provides nationwide empirical data that may be used in the development of veterans' courts.
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. rscottjohnson3@gmail.com.
authors.forename: R Scott
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Care Line, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA.|Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.|Veterans' Court Treatment Program, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Stolar
authors.affiliation: , Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: McGuire
authors.affiliation: , Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Care Line, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Loretta A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Coonan
authors.affiliation: Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hausknecht
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Care Line, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA.|Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.|Neurorehabilitation: Neurons to Networks Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA.|Department of Veterans Affairs, South Central Mental Illness, Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Graham
mesh_terms: D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057237:Criminals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007603:Jurisprudence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Court; Recidivism; VA; Veteran