Sixth Circuit Veterans Treatment Court

The 6th Circuit Solicitor's office: "The Sixth Circuit Veterans Court is a diversion program offered to military veteran offenders that have qualifying criminal charges. This program is an alternative to the traditional criminal justice system and is designed specifically to meet the individualized needs of each participating veteran." Its goals reach past the charge: "alcohol or drug use, and mental illness, the coinciding goal is to resolve any other problems the veteran may be facing such as medical problems, homelessness, basic educational deficits, unemployment, family troubles such as domestic violence, and the underlying reoccurring effects of war-time trauma." Structure: "consists of four phases. Each phase is approximately three months, with the exception of the final phase which is six months. The veterans court program takes eighteen to twenty-four months to complete." Eligibility: "1. Must be charged with a crime in Chester, Fairfield, or Lancaster County. 2. Must be a veteran, eligible or ineligible for VA benefits. 3. Must plea to a non-violent crime to enter the program. 4. Must not have a prior conviction for a violent crime within ten (10) years. 5. Must be assessed be the Department of Mental Health or other entity, if needed, and deemed appropriate for the program by the Sixth Circuit Veterans Court Program staff." Procedure: a referral from "the prosecutor, defense attorney, law enforcement officer, or other program team member", an intake interview, a team acceptance decision, "The veteran participant will plea guilty to their pending charge(s) before a Circuit Court Judge. The judge will impose a sentence, but the sentence will be suspended upon successful completion", regular appearances, drug and alcohol testing and treatment as required, and "Successful completion of the program will result in graduation. Upon graduation, the veteran participant's charges are dismissed and eligible for expungement. If the veteran participant does not successfully complete the program, the Judge may uphold the original sentence and the participant may be incarcerated." Staff and offices: Coordinator Melissa Payne, [email protected], (803) 899-9654, serving Chester, Fairfield and Lancaster; Community Services Coordinator Lee Rathel (Chester); Lancaster office P.O. Box 607, 104 North Main Street, Lancaster, SC 29721, (803) 416-9367; Chester (803) 377-1141; Fairfield (803) 712-1735. The county's role. The SCCPC's 2026 Directory (December 8, 2025) lists Veterans Courts for the 6th Circuit among the solicitors' treatment courts. Lancaster County's own FY2026-27 budget carries the court: the Solicitor's appropriation line is annotated "Per agency request dated 2/2/26: 2% increase on base salary for non-attorney staff, ($41K), Veterans Court ($136.2K), Axon Justice ($18.3K), Attorney career ladder ($15.4K)". See the South Carolina entry on how solicitors run these courts.