Our Mission
The mission driving the Veterans Docket is to successfully rehabilitate veterans by diverting them from the traditional criminal justice system and providing them with the tools they need in order to lead a productive and law-abiding lifestyle.
Goals of the Veterans Docket
Upon acceptance, participants are required to attend regular court hearings before a presiding Judge and participate in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) counseling and mental health services, if needed. Additionally, the Judge may order participation in substance abuse treatment and drug testing if deemed appropriate. The Judge leads the team’s efforts, focusing on sobriety, recovery, and accountability, and the Veterans Docket team implements strategies best-suited for individual success in achieving the program’s goals. Goals include:
- Reducing criminal recidivism
- Stabilizing mental health and increasing compliance with treatment
- Facilitating participant sobriety
- Improving access to VA benefits & services
- Achieving stable housing
- Advancing employment & educational status
- Improving family relationships & social connections
Frequently Asked Questions
** Please bring an attorney to the first scheduled preliminary inquiry. If you are representing yourself, an attorney is not required.
The Veterans Docket is a specialized docket of the District Court of Maryland for Anne Arundel County,
focusing on veterans charged with misdemeanors or felonies within the jurisdiction of the District Court and who may be dealing with substance abuse dependencies or mental health issues.
U.S. Military Veterans who:
- Are Anne Arundel County residents or homeless
- Have no active parole/probation cases in other jurisdictions
- Have no open warrants/detainers
- Are either habitual substance abusers, or sufferers of mental health issues, or both
- Possibility of disposition other than conviction
- Access to a comprehensive treatment plan through the VA service system and/or community providers
- Vet-to-Vet peer mentor program
- Case management and support teams to help increase your chances of success
- Applicant is identified as a veteran.
- Applicant may be required to provide documentation of his/her veteran status to the Veterans Docket Team for verification. This could include supplemental forms or the applicant’s DD-214 which annotates the type of discharge.
- Should the veteran still be eligible at this point, the Veterans Docket Team will review the current charge(s) and decide if the veteran is appropriate for the Veterans Docket.
- Should the charge(s) fall within the acceptable guidelines, the Veterans Docket Team will then review the record of the veteran to determine if the veteran is still eligible.
- The Veterans Docket Team will discuss an eligible veteran’s case. Should the veteran wish to pursue this program, the veteran will complete the required forms, to include the application and participation agreement.
- The Veterans Docket Team will make recommendations to the Veterans Docket Judge, including the appropriate Track for admittance. All Tracks require the admittance of a guilty plea, but veterans who successfully complete
the program receive dismissal, probation before judgment with expedited expungement, or a suspended sentence. - Once approved by the Veterans Docket Judge, the veteran will be sworn into the program, assigned a mentor, and begin the process.
How does the Veterans Docket Operate?
The Veterans Docket takes at least one year to complete and is comprised of three different phases:
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Phase I
Orientation/Stabilization
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Phase II
Ongoing Treatment
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Phase III
Transition/Graduation
Participants must satisfy a set of predetermined requirements to advance through each of the three phases.
Incentives reward compliance with the program.
While a Member of the Veterans Docket, Veterans Will:
- Appear before the Veterans Docket Judge for scheduled review hearings.
- Meet with a probation officer as required.
- Submit to drug and alcohol screenings.
- Participate in an individualized plan which may include mental health and substance abuse treatment.
- Participate in assessments related to housing, medical, dental, childcare, etc.
- Utilize the Veterans Benefit Administration to determine eligibility for disability compensation, pension, education benefits, or vocational rehabilitation benefits.
- Establish connections with one or more peer mentors.