Judge Mike Denton '73 helps returning veterans who are suffering from PTSD, TBI, and other conditions resulting from their combat service and who have been charged with crimes related to those conditions.
It's 5 p.m., and as the Travis County Courthouse empties out for the day, a courtroom on the third floor begins to fill with county officials, federal bureaucrats, and young men with closely cropped hair.
Judge Mike Denton '73 calls the next defendant, a former Navy special forces boat operator who served in the Gulf War and various operations in Africa. Shane Bryant faces a trespassing charge after an altercation with a group of teenagers on a day when doctors were switching his medications for symptoms related to post-traumatic stress disorder.
He's not here to be tried or sentenced. This is Travis County's new veterans court, where the goal is rehabilitation, not punishment. Denton is pleased to hear that Bryant has been following his treatment plan and is on track to get his charge dismissed if he keeps it up. "This is a great report," says Denton, himself an Army veteran, before leading the courtroom in applause.
Read more about Denton's work and the rehabilitation program