Anchorage Veterans Court

Alaska has no county courts: the trial courts belong to the Alaska Court System. The Anchorage Veterans Court is one of only two Veterans Courts on the Court System's therapeutic courts list, and its published handout, PUB-121 (5/26), is the program's own description. What it is. A specialized court designed to facilitate the rehabilitation of eligible veterans charged with criminal offenses, providing judicial monitoring coupled with alternative-sentencing plea agreements, so that veterans succeed with their own rehabilitation and return to a productive and law-abiding lifestyle. Its stated objectives are public safety, reduced incarceration of veterans, fewer repeat contacts with the criminal justice system, facilitated access to VA resources, and treatment adherence through ongoing judicial monitoring. Who is eligible. The veteran must be at least 18 years old; reside in the Municipality of Anchorage; be eligible for VA services as defined by federal law and confirmed by the Veterans Administration; and be charged with a criminal offense. A veteran charged with a felony is considered case by case to ensure public safety, with the seriousness and class of the offense and the criminal history weighed. The veteran must voluntarily agree to waive the right to a speedy trial while participating, must have no other pending cases in district or superior court - all open cases are heard at Anchorage Veterans Court hearings - and must have a treatment need, related to the criminal conduct charged, that the VA can address through one of its programs. The handout describes the court as a cooperative effort of the Alaska Court System, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the State of Alaska Public Defender and the Municipality of Anchorage, among others, and gives contact numbers including 907-264-0466 and 907-257-4817.