rewards and sanctions in veterans treatment court
TRANSCRIPT
Rewards and Sanctions in
Veterans Treatment Court
some returning veterans suffer from
invisible wounds
ptsdptsd
serviceservice
Of the more then two million troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan more the half a million will
return with invisible wounds
Of the more then two million troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan more the half a million will
return with invisible wounds
PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder: An anxiety disorder that occurs after a traumatic event in
which a threat of serious injury or death was experienced or witnessed and to which the individual responds
with intense fear, helplessness, or horror.
the disorder is marked by the following symptoms occurring for more than one month and causing significant distress and/or impairment: re-experiencing
the event, avoiding stimuli relating to the event, numbing of general
responsiveness, and hyper-arousal.
percentage of vietnam veterans who suffered from ptsd who also suffered from a substance abuse issue
percentage of vietnam veterans who suffered from ptsd who also suffered from a substance abuse issue
Fifty percent of individuals arrested for drunk driving have at least one
psychiatric comorbidity other than substance use disorder....post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most
common psychiatric comorbidities among treatment samples of first-time
and repeat DUI offenders
There is a link between combat related PTSD and violent behavior
There is a link between combat related PTSD and violent behavior
Vietnam veterans suffering ptsd committed on average 4 times as many criminal assaults as those not
suffering from ptsd
Vietnam veterans suffering ptsd committed on average 4 times as many criminal assaults as those not
suffering from ptsd
PTSD has been correlated with five
general types of criminal behavior,
drunk driving, weapons charges, disorderly conduct, drug possession and assault
alcohol related offenses dwi, felony dwi,
death resulting, intoxication
alcohol related offenses dwi, felony dwi,
death resulting, intoxication
drugs possession,
sale
drugs possession,
sale
assaultive crimes sexual,
aggravated, kidnapping,
simple, weapons
assaultive crimes sexual,
aggravated, kidnapping,
simple, weapons
criminal traffic
criminal traffic
thief felony
misdemeanor
thief felony
misdemeanor
trespasstrespass
90‐day period, from September 1, 2008 through November 30, 2008, to identify Veterans who were booked into the Travis County jail90‐day period, from September 1, 2008 through November 30, 2008, to identify Veterans who were booked into the Travis County jail
47.5% of vietnan Veterans suffering ptsd were subsequently arrested
47.5% of vietnan Veterans suffering ptsd were subsequently arrested
Judges imposed harsher sentences to the men and women who served their
country then to those who did not. The United States Department of Justice, which studied incarcerated veterans,
concluded that there was a sentencing disparity of about one additional year
imprisonment
How does this relate to incentives and sanctions in Veterans Treatment
Court?
The military has unique “belief’s, norms, values and language”
Military training is designed to make the use of lethal force a mere muscle memory
done without thinking is a valued in the culture as it makes the job easier
and more efficient it eliminates moral reasoning and judgment moral thinking is not conducive to battle field
survival the primary distinction between civilian and
military culture: violence becomes re-defined
military culture prizes and wants there to be no psychological cost to the use of violence as this
results in “degradation” of the fighting unit. This results in the individual soldier being taught that it
is weak, embarrassing and shameful as well as a bad career move to admit to any symptoms or
moralqualms.
Your Defendants were all trained in a Military Culture
Carrot and stick
the carrot is 4 times more effective
Incentive systems provide a rationale for drug-involved
individuals to meet milestones and targets and comply with
criminal justice conditions
but you still need the stick
a graduated sanction system, where penalties are
progressively more onerous
Effective sanctions must have four components:
(a) clear identification of noncompliant behavior; (b) swift response; (c) certain, clear, transparent definitions; (d) proportionality to the behavior
Requiring more treatment is not a sanction
SUBSTANCE ABUSE vs. DEPENDENCE
Do not assume that merely because an veteran has been arrested for an alcohol or drug-related
offense, he or she must be an addict.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE vs. DEPENDENCE
Drug use particularly marijuana may simply be a from of coping with PTSD or brain injury.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE vs. DEPENDENCE
The sanctions for those who are addicted should be different then for those who are using drugs
to cope with their mental health problems
Violence
While a violent act is grounds for a high sanction it is not necessarily grounds for removal from
the program
Trust but Verify
The most influential factor in veteran behavior modification is certainty. The
more consistently veterans receive rewards for accomplishments and sanctions for infractions, the more
effective the program
rewards can be quite effective at low to moderate magnitudes. For example, positive
outcomes have been achieved with low-magnitude rewards, such as verbal praise,
diplomas, certificates of progress, transportation passes, and gift cards to local stores or
restaurants.
sanctions tend to be the least effective at the lowest and highest magnitudes, and most
effective within the moderate range
Stay Centered
• Develop a wide range of intermediate rewards and sanctions that can be ratcheted
upward or downward in response to participants’ behaviors.
• Avoid using sanctions that are low or high in magnitude if possible.
Thank you for you kind attention If you wish more information or
to make a comment contact:
Judge Brian W. MacKenzie@