Rotary speaker advocates for veterans
Manley
Imagine a world where returning military veterans caught up in the justice system are elevated by a collaborative approach, not ground down by the adversarial process.
That nonconfrontational world exists now, according to Judge Stephen Manley of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, who spoke to the Rotary Club of Los Altos via Zoom Feb. 18. Veterans Treatment Courts (VTC) have been established for the purpose of achieving better outcomes incorporating treatment, not just exacting punishment.
In an effort to not merely afford respect, but to avoid recidivism, judges have undertaken the responsibility to develop a special court program whose goal is to successfully return individuals who served their country to their community, Manley said.