Effects of PTSD and Veterans Treatment Courts on Crime and Recidivism
A panel of renowned experts discussed the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on veterans and how the Veterans Treatment Courts (VTC) support those who have run afoul of the law by proving appropriate treatment.Speaker Biography: Jonathan Elias is the host of WJLA-TV’s “Salute to Veterans.”Speaker Biography: Melissa Fitzgerald is senior director of the nonprofit organization Justice For Vets. As an actress, she portrayed Carol Fitzpatrick on the television program “The West Wing.”Speaker Biography: Major General Clyde “Butch” Tate (ret.) is chief counsel of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.Speaker Biography: Vance Peterson is a judge of the Veterans Treatment Courts of Spokane County, Washington, and a Vietnam-era and Afghanistan veteran.Speaker Biography: Bernie Edelman is author of “Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam” and a Vietnam veteran.Speaker Biography: Dr. Tom Berger is chair of Vietnam Veterans of America’s PTSD and Substance Abuse Committee and a Vietnam veteran.Speaker Biography: Greg Crawford is a correctional program specialist at the National Institute of Corrections.Speaker Biography: Timothy Wynn is a Veterans Treatment Courts graduate, Iraq veteran and Philadelphia Police Department instructor.Speaker Biography: Jake Tapper is a news reporter and analyst with CNN.For transcript and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7922