Commissioner Diaz’s work to create the Veterans Treatment Court comes to fruition

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY – The Miami-Dade County Commission on Dec. 6 approved a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz commending the Miami-Dade County Military Affairs Board for its hard work and dedication in creating a Veterans Treatment Court in Miami-Dade’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit, and urging the state to provide more funding for the program.

The Veterans Treatment Court program, which will kick off on Jan. 19, 2017, is designed to divert veterans from the traditional criminal justice system and provide them with the tools needed to successfully reintegrate back into civilian life. The program has been a top priority for Commissioner Diaz and the Military Affairs Board, which he chairs. The group worked with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the Miami Veterans Health Administration, the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, and the South Florida Behavioral Health Network to create the program and also recently committed $75,000 as the matching component for a federal grant.

“This is an excellent program and I’m very excited to see it established here in Miami-Dade County. It will make a huge difference in the lives of veterans who find themselves caught up in the criminal justice system and will give them the tools they need to get their lives back on track,” Commissioner Diaz said.