SUNBURY – There was a celebratory atmosphere in Northumberland County Judge Charles Saylor’s courtroom Tuesday. The Veterans Treatment Court held a graduation ceremony for three service members who completed the program.
The featured speaker was Jayme Hendricks, division director at Gaudenzia. She says Treatment Courts are successful because they provide a complement of services for participants, “Treatment courts provide the structure, the support, and the rewards are encouragement, but also just enough discipline. It’s not just somebody getting arrested and they’re going to jail. It is so much more beyond that.”
The Northumberland County Veterans Treatment Court was initiated in October 2011 as a way to assist veterans in the court system for DUI, drug and other offenses. Participants are paired with a mentor who is also a veteran as well as specialist in Justice Outreach from the Veterans Administration. To date, 15 individuals have graduated from the Veterans Treatment Court. (Jennifer Wakeman)