Last week the National Association of Drug Court Professionals announced the addition of former U.S. Marine Officer Kenneth Gardner to the Justice for Vets team. Gardner will work as part of the Veterans Treatment Court Planning Initiative (VTCPI) and the Veterans Mentor Court Project.
Gardner, who deployed multiple times in his military career in support of combat operations, also worked as an assistant district attorney in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, before entering private practice in 2010. Accredited by the Veterans Administration to assist veterans in disability claims, he is also admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
Justice for Vets is an outgrowth of the first Veterans Treatment Court founded by the Honorable Robert Russell in Buffalo, New York, in January of 2008. Today there are nearly 100 dedicated Veterans Treatment Courts across the U.S., with hundreds more in the planning stages. These courts work closely with local, state, and national veterans resources to provide mentoring, support groups, and services specific to the needs of U.S. combat veterans involved in the criminal justice system.
There are 23.4 million U.S. Veterans, and 2 million and counting are combat veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Justice for Vets is committed to tackling what it calls the intersection of mental health, substance abuse, and the criminal justice system for our country’s combat veterans.
Congratulations, Ken Gardner, on Making a Difference!
