Veterans Defense Project
OUR MISSION: Restoring veterans involved in the criminal justice system to the communities they served.
Celebrating the VDP's 3rd Annual Veterans and Restorative Justice Event
On Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the Veterans Defense Project proudly presented We've Got Your Six*: Supporting Veterans with Mentors and Restorative Justice. Speakers included Major General (Ret) Johanna Clyborne and General (Ret) Joseph Votel.
Click here to watch the event in its entirety.
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 Brett Kelley. Brett’s journey from military service to advocacy reflects a life dedicated to leadership, resilience, and making a tangible impact.
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.
Donor Recognition
The VDP is deeply grateful for the support of the following key donors in 2023 - 2024
Visionary
Hohbach Family Foundation
Steve and Claudia Sefton
Hank and Chris Shea
Champion
Arnold Ventures
Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation
John and Susan Morrison
Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation
Khurram Sindhu
Leadership
American Legion Post 282 - St. Louis Park
Wendy Bennett and Ken Powell Minneapolis Foundation
Michael and Ann Ciresi
Jim and Mary Frey
Jones Day Law Firm (Minneapolis Office)
Kelley Family Foundation
David and Marlyce Logan Family Charitable Fund
Timothy and Sherry Magnusson Foundation Fund
Pohlad Companies
Jeff and Chris Rotsch Family Foundation
Thomas and Susan Wright Family Foundation Fund
The VDP also expresses gratitude to the many other donors and supporters who have made our work possible.
The VDP is a Minnesota nonprofit organization that is tax-exempt under Section 501c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Latest Updates
From Combat to Courtroom: How Criminal Justice Fails Our Veterans
'Vets court' helps Minnesota veterans make the most of second chances
States Seek Ways to Keep Veterans Out of the Criminal Justice System
Struggling with addiction, PTSD and other service-related traumas, far too many of them run afoul of the law. States could do more to help those at risk.
Americans love their military veterans. We shower them with medals, honor them with holidays and thank them for their service. But this outpouring ignores a sobering reality: Once they tu
Struggling with addiction, PTSD and other service-related traumas, far too many of them run afoul of the law. States could do more to help those at risk.
Americans love their military veterans. We shower them with medals, honor them with holidays and thank them for their service. But this outpouring ignores a sobering reality: Once they turn in their uniforms, many veterans struggle.
Each year roughly a quarter of a million active-duty service members leave the military and return to civilian life. Most transition successfully, but others bring home trauma and other service-related impacts that are linked to a range of problems, from drug and alcohol addiction to PTSD and homelessness. For far too many veterans, these post-service hardships lead to the criminal justice system. One in 3 of our nation’s 19 million veterans report having been arrested and jailed at least once, and at last count more than 181,000 were in U.S. prisons and jails.
States Seek Ways to Keep Veterans Out of the Criminal Justice System
'Vets court' helps Minnesota veterans make the most of second chances
States Seek Ways to Keep Veterans Out of the Criminal Justice System
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
'Vets court' helps Minnesota veterans make the most of second chances
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?