By Gerald Hay

Mike Ralls, a retired U.S. Army command sergeant major, has been a mentor at Johnson County Veterans Treatment Court for six years.

He likes what he does and wants other veterans to enlist in the program at Johnson County District Court, which is the 10th Judicial District of Kansas, at the Johnson County Courthouse in downtown Olathe.

Ralls serves as mentor coordinator for VTC and needs more veterans to volunteer as mentors. According to him, the COVID-19 pandemic decreased the mentor cadre in the program by 20%. Mentors provide vet-to-vet support and camaraderie to engage, encourage and empower eligible veterans in the criminal justice system to change their lives as an alternative to incarceration.

“The mentors are the most important part of VTC outside of the veterans themselves,” said Johnson County District Court Judge McCarthy. “They are volunteers and veterans who are not part of court staff or team. Mentors are a battle buddy to walk with the vet through the program. The only requirement is to be a veteran and to want to help one.”

A team of partnerships through - out the court system started VTC in January 2016. It was the first specialized court for veterans in Kansas with the first graduation occurring a year later. The state’s second Veterans Treatment Court was launched in June 2021 in Wyandotte County District Court.

Ralls believes his 23-year military career, including duty in the Vietnam War and Desert Storm, has enhanced his mentorship.

Following his retirement, he found ample time to volunteer, leading to his involvement in Veterans Treatment Court and helping troubled veterans.

Volunteer veteran mentors become members of a VTC team utilizing people who already work in Johnson County’s criminal justice system, including District Court Judge Kelly Ryan, prosecutors, public defenders, Veterans Administration representatives, probation officers and program coordinators.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson County Mental Health Center and the county’s Justice Information Management System also participate in the program.

VTC mandates counseling, treatment and close supervision of eligible veterans selected to participate in the program that spans 12-18 months.

The program serves eligible veterans struggling with substance abuse or addiction, mental health issues and trauma-related challenges, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

VTC offers two options to jail time: a diversion track through the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office and a probation track offered through Johnson County District Court Services.

Since 2017, Ralls has mentored eight VTC veterans, including Edgar Luster, who served in the U.S. Army from 1986-1989. Luster graduated on Dec. 7 from the program with three other Army veterans. Ralls continues to mentor two other veterans still in the program as 2022 ended.

“Thanks for believing in me and not judging me,” Luster said in celebrating his graduation. “It has been a long, long journey.”

With the latest graduation, 62 veterans have successfully completed the program through the end of 2022. Four women veterans are among the graduates. Twenty participants now are in the program with 10 veterans in the application process. Only 13 participants have been dismissed in VTC. Another three left voluntarily.

“The recidivism rate through VTC programs is 95%, which is what it is nationally. That means 95% of the veterans who graduate do not come back to the criminal justice system,” Judge McCarthy said.

Veterans Treatment Court is careful about whom they let into the program. VTC accepts veterans who are charged with either felony or misdemeanor offenses, subject to limitations.

“VTC is an opportunity for a veteran to get a second chance,” Judge McCarthy said. “And if anybody deserves it, it’s a veteran.”

The program also screens potential mentors. The process begins with interested veterans submitting an application of interest for review.

“The core requirement is being a vet,” Ralls said. “Dishonorable and bad conduct discharges may exclude a candidate.”

Applicants must undergo a background check, including past or current addictions or mental health issues. Training also is available, including an online course for mentors, seminars by the Justice for Vets organization and periodic programs from Johnson County Mental Health and other agencies.

According to Ralls, the program attempts to pair mentors with VTC veterans by branch of military service, similar ranks and similar age groups, adding: “Some or none of these criteria may be considered in the final decision.”

Mentors must attend court sessions. They must maintain contact and confidentiality with their assigned veteran. Ralls says mentors never provide solutions but rather help lead participants to find their own solutions. “They act as a sounding board, suggest, provide examples of personal experience and draw upon military experience similarities,” he said.

Ralls cautions mentors usually struggle to develop a trusting relationship with their participants. He sees that as a normal progression, but some mentors take it harder than others. That challenge generally goes away after a few months.

“Mentors also experience difficulties when the participant acts out and is sanctioned by the court,” he said. “The ultimate goal of graduation brings with it the knowledge that life was turned around, a family saved and that gives the mentor a genuine reward.”

More information about Veterans Treatment Court and the role of a mentor is available online or by contacting the Veterans Court Coordinator directly at adam.baker@jocogov.org or 913-715-7510 or Michele Parsons, Veterans Justice Outreach, at 816-590-3997.