Cook County Veterans Treatment Court

The Circuit Court of Cook County runs a Veterans Treatment Court with the State's Attorney, the Public Defender, VA, the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs and community treatment agencies, under the Veterans and Servicemembers Court Treatment Act; see the Illinois entry. Who can enter. Veterans and service members whose enrollment the court approves and the prosecutor and defendant agree to; the State's Attorney reviews each volunteer's criminal background. The court excludes a crime of violence, a defendant unwilling to take part in treatment, a conviction for a crime of violence within the past ten years excluding time in custody, and anyone who completed or was discharged from the programme within the last three years. How it works. The participant pleads guilty to the original charge and signs a treatment and participation contract, then attends every court date, meets the probation officer and the VA case manager, avoids drugs and alcohol with random testing, follows inpatient or outpatient treatment, attends self-help meetings, carries no weapon and does 36 hours of community service. Violations bring sanctions. Stricter than the statute. 730 ILCS 167/20 excludes a violent conviction within five years, not ten, and needs the prosecutor's agreement only for some Class 2 or higher drug felonies; it also allows a pre-plea programme. The statute lets each court set stricter written criteria, so these rules bind in Cook County, but a defendant with a violent conviction six to ten years old who is refused should know the statute's line is five years.