Livingston County Veterans' Treatment Court

The 53rd District Court for Livingston County runs a Veterans' Treatment Court under MCL 600.1200 to 600.1212 (see the Michigan entry on veterans treatment courts). The State Court Administrative Office's certified list of May 7, 2026 entries it at Howell, phone (517) 548-1000, Region 2. How the court's own page describes it. The court "serves justice-involved veterans as opposed to business as usual", presided by Judge Shauna N. Murphy, whose team "better understands the issues that a veteran may be struggling with, such as substance addiction, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, or military sexual trauma" and the VA, state and veteran organizations that can help. Eligibility: a non-violent offender, with a substance use disorder or mental health disorder diagnosed by the Veterans Outreach Coordinator, who is a veteran and a Livingston County resident; admission runs through the defense attorney, who fills out and submits the referral packet for the team, with the prosecutor verifying. Hearings are the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. The team lists the county's own Veteran Services office among its members, alongside the prosecutor's and public defender's offices, MDOC and district court probation, a Veteran Justice Outreach Coordinator, a community treatment provider, the Sheriff's Department's mentor coordinator, the VTC coordinator and the specialty courts administrator. Contacts: Sara Applegate, Specialty Courts and Programs Administrator, (517) 540-7664, [email protected]; Jessica Brzys, VTC Coordinator, (517) 540-7260, [email protected]; both at the Judicial Center, 204 S Highlander Way, Howell. The statute admits a veteran under MCL 35.61 with any discharge other than dishonorable and 180 days of active duty whose offense is generally related to service, and bars violent offenders as MCL 600.1200(k) defines them; nobody has a right to admission.