Contact:  Ed Ferenc, Public Information Officer                                   
Cleveland Municipal Court
216 664 6787 / 216 789 2597
ference@cmcoh.org     www.cmcoh.org

(Cleveland) – Cleveland Municipal Court and the Cuyahoga Court of Common Pleas joined together this week to present Justice for Vets, a two day program designed to better equip the people who are helping veterans with cases in the judicial system.

Participants learned how a Veterans Treatment Court operates with an emphasis on the role of the mentor, which is key to a successful outcome.

“Some mentors are very effective and others are not, so training is important because the mentor, more often than not, has the ear of the veteran.  They understand the military culture and how to instill pride back to the vets who served us so well before, “said Derek Moore, Coordinator for the Cleveland Municipal Court’s Veteran Treatment Specialized Docket, which started in 2011 and is currently under the direction of The Honorable Charles L. Patton Jr.

The idea of a Boot Camp for this type of training came out of a recent strategy session involving court personnel. Click here to view a video of Justice for Vets from TV20.

“My staff on our Veteran’s Treatment Docket were talking about how we can enhance the work of our mentors and we found out there was grant money available from the county, which allowed us to expand the training statewide,” said Judge Patton.

Organizers expected 60-70 people and instead managed to get the attention of almost 100, some even coming from Northern Kentucky.

“The turnout clearly shows there is plenty of support for our vets and the mentors wanted to do more for them.  This was about giving them the tools and support they need and we did just that,” said Judge Patton.

The boot camp heard comments and encouragement from Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and Common Pleas Judge Michael Jackson, both of whom are Vietnam War era vets.  Susan Fuehrer, Director of the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Anthony Milons, Director of the Cleveland VA Regional Office and various VA reps were on hand explaining how to connect veterans with local, state and federal benefits they have earned.

For more information about the Cleveland Veterans Treatment Docket, please visit: http://clevelandmunicipalcourt.org/judicial-services/court-programs-services/veterans-treatment-docket