Veterans Justice Act

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The Veterans Defense Project’s years of advocacy on behalf of veterans in the justice system culminated in a momentous year for our humble organization, in 2023, with a broad expansion of our policy initiatives and coalition building.  The VDP had wrapped up 2022 with a celebration of our passage of the pioneering Veterans Restorative Justice Act (VRJA) into law in Minnesota, and our follow-on commitment to work for passage of similar laws in states across the country. 

As 2023 unfolded, the VDP received a once-in-a-generation opportunity to promote the policies underlying the VRJA at the very highest national levels, through the Veterans Justice Commission, a special project of the Council on Criminal Justice, Chaired by former Senator and Secretary of Defense Charles “Chuck” Hagel.  Other members of the Commission include former Secretary of Defense, White House Chief of Staff, and CIA Director Leon Panetta, Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Boggs, former Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Alford McMichael, California Court of Appeals Justice Eileen Moore, and former Vice Secretary of the Army, General Peter Chiarelli, among others.  The Commission’s three-year mission is to examine the extent and nature of veterans’ involvement in the criminal justice system and to develop recommendations for evidence-based policy changes that enhance safety, health, and justice.

VDP Co-Founders Brock Hunter and Ryan Else were invited to present to the Veterans Justice Commission on Minnesota’s VRJA and its underlying policies.   Afterward, they were recruited to serve as special advisors to the Commission, helping to form and participate in a working group of national level stakeholders, including John Flynn, then President of the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), to explore model sentencing policies for veterans in the justice system and make recommendations to the Commission.  Through their work in that working group, Brock and Ryan were able to build group consensus around all of the key policies contained in the Minnesota VRJA, as well as to make key improvements and additions to it such as data collection requirements. 

The working group’s final set of recommendations – the so-called Model Policy Framework – was approved and adopted by the Veterans Justice Commission.  Next, Brock and Ryan assisted in translating the Model Policy Framework into a model bill, called the Veterans Justice Act. 

The model Veterans Justice Act embodies all of the key policies of the Minnesota VRJA and has already received a great deal of support, including endorsements from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and has been introduced as a bill, VA – HB754, in the Virginia Legislature.

The VDP will be working closely with the Veterans Justice Commission in the coming year to spread the word about the Veterans Justice Act and educate on its key policies.  As the Commission then wraps up its three-year mission, the VDP will continue its work, educating and advocating for passage of the Veterans Justice Act across the country to help bring all of our veterans in the justice system the rest of the way home.