In 2014, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) partnered with the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) and the Center for Court Innovation to identify the criminogenic risks and clinical needs of veterans involved in the justice system and develop the first iteration of the tool. Since 2018, BJA has partnered with American University (AU) in Phases II-IV to make advances in the development and implementation of the VTC Risk and Needs Assessment Tools. In addition to traditional measures from risk-need assessments, these tools incorporate questions specific to military experience, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), substance use disorder (SUD), and other issues affecting veterans. There are two tools under the VTCEI:
Short Screener (VET-S): Provides a snapshot of potential participants for programs to determine eligibility for their specific VTC program.
Comprehensive Assessment (VET-C): Provides a comprehensive account of veterans’ needs and criminogenic risk for case planning purposes.
Programs receive risk – need – responsivity training for their full teams and tool training for those who will be conducting the assessments. Team members not responsible for conducting the assessments are welcome to complete the tool training also but are not required. The AU Team holds implementation meetings with the programs to: (1) understand their current use of assessments, (2) collaboratively determine the assessment protocol for the most seamless inclusion of the tools, and (3) address any site-specific concerns and criteria. Throughout tool implementation, the AU Team provides consistent support through regular implementation check-in meetings, providing support materials, and being responsive to address issues and questions as they arise via email and phone.
The VET-S and VET-C are currently in the validation process.
If you have additional questions, please contact Dr. Julie Marie Baldwin (jbaldwin@american.edu) or Ms. Mandi Muse (amuse@american.edu).
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On November 21, 2024, American University and Verizon co-hosted Voices of Valor: Transformative Journeys Through Veterans Treatment Courts at Verizon’s Technology Policy Center in Washington, D.C. The event marked the launch of a compelling publication by the same name dedicated to advancing awareness and efforts surrounding Veterans Treatment Courts (VTCs).