Center for Court Innovation

Enhancing Court Services for Veterans Initiative

Location: New York State

Issue Area: Quality of Life

A public/private partnership between the New York State Unified Court System and the Fund for the City of New York, the Center for Court Innovation (CCI) identifies and resolves gaps in the justice system. Current court professionals designing court-mandated treatment protocols are insufficiently aware of available services for veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and invisible wounds. CCI will use the Bob Woodruff Foundation grant to develop and administer a training program in three New York State regions that will teach court professionals how to identify veterans, familiarize them with veterans’ unique background and challenges, and connect them to appropriate services that could improve veterans’ outcomes. This program will help ensure that the New York court considers a veteran’s service experience when determining criminal justice outcomes, and is an important aspect of the BWF portfolio considering the legal challenges that some veterans confront.