In a bipartisan move, Congress passed a measure to provide $4 million worth of funding to construct a national center to help veterans ensnared in the criminal justice system.
The funds, part of the budget for the Department of Justice, was signed by President Donald Trump last Friday, according to a press release. Officially, the bill, H.R. 9638, is called the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development, Interior and Environmental Appropriations Act, 2026.
The new center was the focal point of a list of recommendations by the Council on Criminal Justice Veterans Justice Commission, a nonpartisan group, that through a study, found that the U.S. justice system falls short in regularly identifying veterans and redirecting them away from prison.
The Council on Criminal Justice serves as a think tank and invites members to join to assist in advancing ways to help people understand criminal justice policies affecting the county and works to construct solutions to improve safety and justice.
“This center honors veterans’ sacrifices and will help us address their unique risk factors by serving as a hub for best practices, research, and coordination of federal, state, and local programs.”
Several Factors Outlined in Report
The commission outlined several of its findings in a 2023 report.
“The lack of coordination between programs for justice-involved veterans results in the duplication of efforts, a lack of proper program evaluation, and an inability to disseminate best practices,” the report stated. “As a result, justice-involved veterans seeking assistance often confront a confusing and disjointed network of untested interventions.”
The commission believes the establishment of a national center signifies a “major milestone” to address the justice system’s shortfalls. The commission outlined several goals for the center, including the ability to augment the flow of information, data, and best practices to help programs working in unison.
The center’s aim is to also pinpoint research gaps in programs that serve veterans and provide funding for research and technical help to close those gaps and drive innovation within the program to grow data-based practices to intervene in cases involving veterans.
Brig. Gen. David “Mac” MacEwen, who serves as the commission’s director, said service-related trauma and multiple deployments can negatively impact a veteran’s life after the military.
“(It can) push too many veterans on a path toward our criminal justice system, and our nation has a responsibility to better understand and interrupt that trajectory,” MacEwen said. “This center honors veterans’ sacrifices and will help us address their unique risk factors by serving as a hub for best practices, research, and coordination of federal, state, and local programs.”
According to the press release, the commission includes 15 of the country’s leading military brass, including veterans and top criminal justice minds.
The commission analyzed several risk factors that lead to veterans getting caught up in the legal system, the availability of programs helping veterans transition into civilian life and examined how the justice system responds to veterans with criminal records. Through an expansive research method, the commission produced 11 recommendations.
Commission Listens to Veterans
The Veterans Justice Commission was launched in August 2022. At its roots, the 15 commission members were tasked with examining why many veterans become incarcerated and to develop recommendations for policy changes based on evidence-based research that improves safety, health and justice.
To gather research, the commission held 13 listening sessions with veterans who’ve faced trouble with the law to determine ways to reduce the number of veterans committing crimes.
Key takeaways from the listening sessions found that many veterans don’t receive proper support as they’re leaving the military, describing the reacclimating to civilian life as “culture shock.” Participants said they felt strain in finances and relationships, thus leading to various legal problems. They also said the criminal justice system lacks a systematic process to identify their veteran status which delayed or prevented them from getting into veteran-related programs.
In addition, the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries were also reported to be a factor in committing crimes. Veterans also shared the value of treatment courts to help them recover from addiction and keep them out of incarceration. They also shared the desire for more veteran-specific housing units in jails and prisons, especially for female veterans.
