PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT
John Adams Courthouse
One Pemberton Square
Boston, Massachusetts 02108
MEDIA ADVISORY
CONTACT:
Jennifer Donahue/Erika Gully-Santiago
Jennifer.Donahue@jud.state.ma.us
617-557-1114
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2019
On Eve of National Observance of Veterans Day Holiday, Veterans Treatment Court Opening Ceremony to be Held at the War Memorial in Brockton
WHAT:
On Thursday, November 7, the District Court will officially open the Plymouth County Veterans Treatment Court four days before the Veterans Day holiday is observed in ceremonies across Massachusetts and the United States. The Plymouth County Veterans Treatment Court will serve all of southeastern Massachusetts.
Brockton District Court Judge Paula J. Clifford will lead the Plymouth County Veterans Treatment Court and will preside over the opening ceremony. Trial Court Chief Justice Paula M. Carey; Trial Court Administrator Jonathan S. Williams; District Court Chief Justice Paul C. Dawley; Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services Secretary Francisco Ureña; Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz; and VA Boston Healthcare System Director Vincent Ng will attend.
Veterans Treatment Courts provide justice-involved veterans with the structure, accountability, treatment, and mentoring they need to repair their lives, requiring that veterans comply with the terms of their probation, including abstinence from drugs and alcohol, and participation in substance use disorder and mental health treatment.
The court session is structured with a team of court staff and external partners, and includes a presiding judge, probation officer, prosecutor, defense attorney, volunteer mentor, veterans justice outreach coordinator, police detective, clerk, and treatment coordinator. Specialty courts are court sessions that provide intensive probation supervision and mandated treatment focused on treating the mental health or substance use issues underlying criminal behavior.
The Plymouth County Veterans Treatment Court is the sixth Veterans Treatment Court in Massachusetts. Dedham District Court was the first Veterans Treatment Court session to open in the Commonwealth in 2012. In addition to Plymouth and Dedham, there are veterans treatment court sessions in Boston, Lawrence, Holyoke and Framingham. The Trial Court has 53 specialty court sessions across the state, including drug courts, mental health courts, veterans treatment courts, homeless courts, a family drug court and a family resolutions court.
WHEN:
Thursday, November 7, 2019
2:30 p.m.
WHERE:
Brockton War Memorial
156 W Elm St. Brockton, MA