Saint Paul, Minnesota — This week, Representative Sandra Feist (DFL - New Brighton) introduced H. F. 478. The bill was referred to the Committee on Labor, Industry, Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy to be scheduled for a committee hearing in the upcoming weeks.
"I am honored to introduce the Veterans Restorative Justice Act, which will expand the use of Veterans Treatment Courts throughout Minnesota. In taking a restorative, rather than punitive, approach to the sentencing of Veterans, these treatment courts are more humane in the short term, and more cost-efficient in the long term.” stated Rep. Sandra Feist. “These courts provide essential services, community support, and accountability that enables Veterans to earn their way out of a record of conviction and achieve their full potential."
The bill will support Veterans by issuing uniformity to Minnesota’s existing Veterans treatment courts, each of which currently uses different models. It will provide Veterans access to a specialized sentencing structure for eligible individuals who have committed lower criminal offenses as a result of a service-related condition. Instead of going to jail or prison, a non-adversarial approach is taken, the Veteran gets a chance to heal from service-related trauma that contributed to the offense and is returned to the community of law-abiding citizens – an asset rather than a liability.
The eligibility of Veterans for this program will be determined by the judge assigned to their case. A Veteran who wants the benefit of the VRJA must release records to the judge to show the Veteran’s offense is due to service-related trauma.
“Veterans too frequently encounter difficulties when returning home, and too often enter the criminal justice system when treatment for substance abuse, mental health difficulties, or other trauma would be more effective,” said Rep. Rob Ecklund, chair of the House Labor, Industry, Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Committee “I’m hopeful this will finally be the year to come together and give those who have bravely served our nation the tools they need to seek redemption and turn their lives around.”
With Rep. Feist, first-term official, chief authoring the bill, co-authored by Rep. Ecklund and Rep. Moller, the House DFL hopes to make further progress in the 2021 Legislative Session. Once scheduled , details including livestream video availability, and additional documents, will be made available on the committee’s webpage.