Cleveland Law Library Weblog

Ohio Supreme Court Creates Online Map of Courts with Specialized Dockets

The Ohio Supreme Court has created a great, interactive map of all Ohio Courts with specialized dockets. Users can search by Jurisdiction, Judge, County, and Docket Type. A search of Cuyahoga County showed that

Cleveland Municipal Court has Human Trafficking, Mental Health, Drug, and Veterans Treatment dockets

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas (General Division) has Human Trafficking, Mental Health, and Drug dockets

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas (Juvenile Division) has Mental Health, Drug, and Family Dependency dockets

South Euclid Municipal Court has a Mental Health docket

Click here to read the Ohio Supreme Court's press release.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Has Dedicated Its Brand New Veterans Treatment Docket

On Friday, May 29, 2015, the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court dedicated its brand new Veterans Treatment Docket. Several dignitaries spoke at the dedication ceremony, including Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who provided the keynote address.  Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael E. Jackson will preside over new docket. According to cleveland.com, the focus of the new docket is "to rehabilitate vets who have been charged with a felony and sentenced to probation, by diverting them from the traditional criminal justice system to a special program of treatment and support."

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court is Adding a Veterans Court

Last week, the Judges of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court voted to create a Veterans Court. According to Courtnewsohio.gov, the new Court will open next year, in January 2015. Some of the issues to which the court will be devoted will be "unemployment, post-traumatic stress syndrome, traumatic brain injuries, homelessness, drugs, and crime. ...Another goal of the Veterans Court is to forge partnerships among the Veterans Administration, public agencies, and community-based organizations, to generate local support." The Judges will possess discretion to transfer cases to the Veterans Court, "where the defendant will take part in the program for a minimum of 12 months. All felony-level cases that are eligible for probation (Community Control Sanctions/CCS) may be transferred to the Veterans Court, but priority will be given to high-risk, high-need veteran defendants."

Cleveland Municipal Court's Veterans Treatment Docket Graduates 1st Class

On January 15th, the Cleveland Municipal Court graduated its first class of veterans, who successfully completed the Court's Veterans Treatment Docket program. According to the Court's web site, this program, which was created in 2011, has the following focus:

"In recognition that many veterans return to civilian life with significant physical and mental trauma, which may contribute to their involvement with the criminal justice system, the court takes the responsibility for ensuring that veterans receive the treatment they need. By providing a specialized docket, our focus is to increase the veteran’s chance of success."

The program offers veterans who are facing misdemeanor offenses the chance to avoid jail through diversion to government and community support services, including treatment and mentoring.

At the graduation ceremony, Judge Charles Patton, Jr., who presides over the Docket, stated that:

"It's our duty as fellow countrymen to take care of each other."

Click here for a Plain Dealer article containing more information about the graduation ceremony.

Cleveland Municipal Court Creates Veterans Treatment Docket

Joining Mansfield and Youngstown (see our prior post), the Cleveland Municipal Court has created its own Veterans Treatment Docket. According to the Ohio Supreme Court's press release, this new docket is "designed to address the special needs of veterans of the U.S. Armed Services and National Guard, who become involved with the criminal justice system in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County...The Veterans Treatment Docket brings together all parties that assist honorably discharged veterans with their substance abuse, mental health, housing, employment, education and health issues." The Court plans to partner with the Veterans Service Commission and the Veterans Administration to get vets the help they need.

Ohio Has Opened the Second of Two Veterans Courts in Youngstown

Ohio has opened a second veterans court in Youngstown, Ohio called the Youngstown Veterans Treatment Court. It operates out of the Youngstown Municipal Court. According to the Ohio Supreme Court's press release, the court will serve:

"the needs of those veterans suffering from a traumatic brain injury, posttraumatic stress disorder, or related issue that leads to behavior resulting in criminal charges. The new treatment court...will assist veterans charged with nonviolent misdemeanor offenses by offering mental health counseling; treatment services for alcohol and substance abuse; vocational skills advancement; and mentoring. The court also will assist with connecting veterans to the many federal resources now available through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans charged with felonies that do not result in physical injury to another may also be considered for participation."

The press release also indicates that the first veterans court opened in the Mansfield Municipal Court in 2009. A good article about the new Court's purpose and role can also be found at the Youngstown Municipal Court's website.