Riverside County Superior Court Veterans Court

The Superior Court in Riverside County runs a Veterans Court, in operation since January 5, 2012, for felony and misdemeanor cases, with the District Attorney, the Public Defender, Probation, VA and the county's mental health department. It sits on Fridays in Department 31 of the Hall of Justice, 4100 Main Street, Riverside. It is a Penal Code section 1170.9 court; see the California entry. Eligibility is a United States military veteran with a criminal case who qualifies under section 1170.9, and the Veterans Court judge decides whether the offense resulted from sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse or mental health problems stemming from service. Defense counsel first consults the court's District Attorney liaison, 951-955-5400, for a preliminary nexus assessment, then asks to have the case set for an eligibility hearing. Participants must plead guilty or agree to reinstatement of probation and be placed on formal probation, and commit to at least 18 months of intensive treatment, 12 for specified misdemeanors, with weekly counselling, testing, mental health treatment and support meetings. The court's information sheet was last revised March 10, 2016. Because the court sits after a plea, a veteran who wants to avoid a conviction should ask counsel about pretrial military diversion under Penal Code section 1001.80 before entering one.