Veterans Defense Project
OUR MISSION: Restoring veterans involved in the criminal justice system to the communities they served.
Save the Date: November 12, 2024
3rd Annual Veterans and Restorative Justice Event
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | 4PM CT | Minneapolis, MN
The Veterans Defense Project® proudly presents We've Got Your Six*: Supporting Veterans with Mentors and Restorative Justice. Speakers include Major General (Ret) Johanna Clyborne and General (Ret) Joseph Votel.
Join Our Event from 4PM to 6PM CT, in-person and livestreamed, hosted by University of St. Thomas School of Law.
Important Development - Creation of the Veterans Justice Act
Important Development - Creation of the Veterans Justice Act
Important Development - Creation of the Veterans Justice Act
During 2023, the VDP played a critical role in drafting a model Veterans Justice Act for all states to consider.
New Monthly Feature - Meet Our Board
Important Development - Creation of the Veterans Justice Act
Important Development - Creation of the Veterans Justice Act
Meet Michael Hurley, a man whose journey ranges from the heartland of Minnesota to conflict zones around the globe and the corridors of power in Washington, D.C.
2023-2024 Annual Report
Important Development - Creation of the Veterans Justice Act
2023-2024 Annual Report
The VDP is proud to publish its first ever Annual Report for the 2023 - 2024 time period. We are grateful to all our donors and supporters listed in the report.
What we do and why
The echoes of war reverberate through society
Educate and train judges, lawyers, court personnel, and community medical providers
Educate and train judges, lawyers, court personnel, and community medical providers
For as long as warriors have returned from battle, some have brought their war home with them, bearing invisible wounds that haunt in the present. These echoes of war—manifested in self-destructive, reckless, and violent behavior—reverberate through society, destroying not only the lives of these heroes, but their families and communities. The mission of the VDP is to restore veterans involved in the criminal justice system to the communities they served.
Educate and train judges, lawyers, court personnel, and community medical providers
Educate and train judges, lawyers, court personnel, and community medical providers
Educate and train judges, lawyers, court personnel, and community medical providers
The Veterans Restorative Justice Act was only recently passed into law by the Minnesota state legislature in 2021. We also now support adoption of the recently-drafted Veterans Justice Act, which is modeled after the Minnesota Veterans Restorative Justice Act. We must educate legislators and all those involved in making our criminal justice system work about these two options, in order to best serve the veterans we hope to restore and return to their communities.
We literally wrote the book on defending veterans
Educate and train judges, lawyers, court personnel, and community medical providers
We literally wrote the book on defending veterans
As criminal defense lawyers and military veterans, Ryan Else and Brock Hunter set out to create a text that would empower our legal colleagues to passionately and skillfully defend our fellow veterans in criminal court. With proper preparation and execution, defending veterans can be among the most rewarding experiences a defense attorney can have.
VDP Mourns the Passing of Board Member Keith LeBlanc
The VDP is deeply saddened to report the passing of Keith LeBlanc on August 22, 2024. Keith was a retired executive who spent a career in the consumer package goods industry, wholesale paper distribution and printing and packaging manufacturing industry. He was a Vietnam Veteran who served on an Advisory Team as an intelligence asset working in the Phoenix program. Keith served as volunteer mentor in the Ramsey County Veterans diversion court program and served on several boards but was primarily committed to serving returning veterans to insure they were treated respectfully and supported by the VA system. Keith was a shining example of selfless service to others - we will honor that memory of him as we go forward.
Our hearts and sympathies go out to Keith’s wife, Sandy, and the entire LeBlanc family.
Hank Shea
VDP Board Chair
Latest Updates
States Seek Ways to Keep Veterans Out of the Criminal Justice System
'Vets court' helps Minnesota veterans make the most of second chances
'Vets court' helps Minnesota veterans make the most of second chances
Veterans were once half as likely as the general population to land in prison. Now, they're twice as likely. State and local officials are trying to prevent this from happening.
Nearly a quarter-century has passed since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Since then, 4 million Americans have served in the arme
Veterans were once half as likely as the general population to land in prison. Now, they're twice as likely. State and local officials are trying to prevent this from happening.
Nearly a quarter-century has passed since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Since then, 4 million Americans have served in the armed forces, more than half of them in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have been deployed more often than any previous generation of veterans. Most manage the transition to civilian life successfully, but many struggle to emerge from their accumulated stresses and become entangled in the criminal justice system.
Over the past two years, the Veterans Justice Commission (VJC) has been working to identify ways to keep trouble with the law from becoming trouble for life. “We train our soldiers to do incredible things and they are part of the most lethal killing machine on Earth,” says Army Col. Jim Seward, who directs the commission, which is associated with the Council on Criminal Justice.
'Vets court' helps Minnesota veterans make the most of second chances
'Vets court' helps Minnesota veterans make the most of second chances
'Vets court' helps Minnesota veterans make the most of second chances
Miller, 40, was headed for trouble in the Twin Cities after his military service. He sold drugs. And it gave him the same rush as combat.
"The black market is dangerous,' he said. "I had a gun. I carried drugs. The people I dealt with carried drugs and guns. The danger was addicting.''
Honor Veterans with Restorative Justice
'Vets court' helps Minnesota veterans make the most of second chances
In Memoriam: The VDP Mourns the Passing of Peter Orput
Many veterans need healing from their service-related traumas. We must support them.
Veterans Day will be celebrated throughout the country on Nov. 11. For some, it will just be another day at the end of the workweek. For others, it will be a paid holiday. But we hope for many that it will provide an opportunity to, in some way, honor all
Many veterans need healing from their service-related traumas. We must support them.
Veterans Day will be celebrated throughout the country on Nov. 11. For some, it will just be another day at the end of the workweek. For others, it will be a paid holiday. But we hope for many that it will provide an opportunity to, in some way, honor all American veterans, living or dead, in gratitude for their service and sacrifice on behalf of all of us.
There is one group of veterans particularly deserving of our collective attention and action. For as long as veterans have returned from war, some have brought war home with them, bearing invisible wounds in the form of post-traumatic stress and other traumas. Untreated, these scars of war — manifesting in substance and alcohol abuse and addiction, often leading to harmful and self-destructive behavior — inflict pain throughout society, destroying not only the lives of these heroes, but victimizing their families and the communities they fought to protect.
Large numbers of veterans in past generations have fallen into and been left behind in the criminal justice system upon their return home.
Did you know that roughly one-third of U.S. military veterans report that they have been arrested and jailed at least once in their lives?
In Memoriam: The VDP Mourns the Passing of Peter Orput
'Vets court' helps Minnesota veterans make the most of second chances
In Memoriam: The VDP Mourns the Passing of Peter Orput
The Veterans Defense Project mourns the passing of Washington County Attorney, Peter Orput. Mr. Orput was an invaluable member of the Project’s Board of Directors. Mr. Orput was also instrumental in guiding and passing the Veterans Restorative Justice Act. He spent hours both testifying at the legislature and building consensus with the M
The Veterans Defense Project mourns the passing of Washington County Attorney, Peter Orput. Mr. Orput was an invaluable member of the Project’s Board of Directors. Mr. Orput was also instrumental in guiding and passing the Veterans Restorative Justice Act. He spent hours both testifying at the legislature and building consensus with the Minnesota County Attorney’s Association and other criminal justice stakeholders to see the Veterans Restorative Justice Act become law. Thanks in part to Mr. Orput’s efforts, the VRJA became law in August of 2021.
Mr. Orput’s work with the VDP did not end with the passage of the VRJA. He continued his work by training the state’s prosecutors on the logic and the mechanics of the VRJA. He was an active and vocal member of our board until his passing. And his tireless efforts occurred both while he managed a county attorney’s office and dealt with his health issues.
Please join us as we mourn the passing of our beloved colleague, friend, United States Marine and advocate. Semper Fidelis.