Veteran’s Treatment Court (VTC) is a type of specialty court geared toward veterans who have committed low-level crimes and have mental health or substance use issues. VTC provides an alternative to incarceration. Veterans choosing to use VTC are offered mental health counseling and can be connected to various community-based services, as well as local, state, and federal agencies specializing in veterans’ affairs. These resources can help veterans with job training and placement, as well as housing and transportation. Participation in VTC is voluntary. Upon successful completion of the program, which generally takes14 to 18 months depending on the criminal charge, veterans can typically have their record cleared of the relevant criminal convictions, have charges dropped or reduced, avoid incarceration, or receive a reduced term of probation. If a participant fails to meet the requirements of the program (e.g., disobeys court orders or fails a drug screening), he or she is typically subjected to court sanctions, which may include community service, fines, jail time, or transfer out of the VTC back to a traditional criminal court. The Veterans Treatment Court Probation Unit has a dedicated Probation Officer assigned to assist veterans during their interim sentence in helping them achieve their goals while holding them accountable. The Probation Officer works very closely with the Court’s Problem Solving Unit case manager. Many benefits of VTC have been cited, including reduced recidivism, alcohol and drug use, housing stability, enhanced opportunities for employment, improved relationships with friends and family, and improved mental health.
The goal of the program is to provide a safe, productive environment in which offenders can perform functions beneficial to the community while paying off their debt to society for offenses committed. Both the community and the offender benefit from such involvement, while the offender’s progress is closely monitored by experienced Probation Officers. The Westchester County Probation Department is responsible for all phases of probationer’s community service sentence. This includes, but is not limited to, making appropriate placements, monitoring an offender’s progress, arranging for any changes or modifications in work assignments that may be necessary, and submitting reports to the sentencing courts. The program establishes and maintains a close working relationship with cooperating agencies that provide the working environments. Participants of the program who fail to complete their community service obligations are returned to court on a Petition for Violation of Probation. Through the Westchester County Department of Probation Community Service program, carefully screened offenders are provided with a productive outlet to repay the communities they may have harmed while being closely monitored by experienced Probation Officers. Both the offenders and the communities benefit, as does the taxpayer.
Victim Services Contact - Victim Services provides enhanced supportive resources to victims of crimes. Probation Officers assigned to this unit become educators, advocates, and voices for victims in the Criminal Justice System. Over years, the department has increased its services to victims through the consistent efforts of the following:
- Obtaining Victim Impact Statements at the Presentence Investigation stage;
- Providing crime victim related resources, referral information, and supportive services;
- Developing victim-focused recommendations for presentence investigations for use in domestic violence, murder, and sex offense cases;
- Developing safety plans and making treatment and counseling referrals;
- Creating two Victim Resource and Orientation Coordinator positions;
- Partnering with community victim services agencies to maintain a continuity of services;
- Assisting with eligibility for victim compensation related to: personal injury, death, lost wages, moving expenses, and loss of essential personal property;
- Increasing the department’s responsiveness in paying out restitution to victims. In 2022, the department collected over $230,000.00 in restitution.
Refer to these guides
Know Your Rights: A Guide for Victims of Crime
Every Crime Victim Matters: A Guide to Crime Victims Compensation in NY Stat
Visit the NYS OVS for further information.
Inmate information
Victims, family members, and the general public can access basic information about an inmate in the custody of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
To be notified of an offender’s release from jail or state prison, register with VINElink by phone at (888) 846-3469 or visit VINElink.
Cognitive Behavioral Life Skills is a group program facilitated by Probation Officers for offenders. The program is designed to promote behavioral change. It allows participants the opportunity to reflect on their decisions and to consider alternative options to prevent them from re-offending. The curriculum includes interventions regarding substance abuse, felony offenses, gangs, high risk offenders, DWI, domestic violence, shoplifting, truancy, misdemeanor offenses, parenting, and JOBTECH.
Employment Services Contact - The Westchester County Probation Department recognizes the importance of sustained employment for individuals under community supervision. Employment provides individuals a means to self-sufficiency and the ability to support their families, as well as the capacity to structure their time in positive ways. Probation also understands the needs of area employers and their ability to ask questions of Probation Officers about work schedules and other work environment related issues. Accordingly, the Westchester County Probation Department has designated a single point of contact or Probation Employment Liaison Officer to communicate with area employers. The Westchester County Department of Probation Workforce Development Program initiative seeks to work collaboratively with community-based service providers to maximize the use of existing resources and reduce the duplication of services in a concentrated effort to establish the economic sustainability of individuals seeking to reintegrate productively into society. This initiative will improve the overall recidivism outcomes of participants through a constructive team approach to mentor their career development, increase job retention, and foster intrinsic goal-setting. Professional wraparound services will be utilized under the direction of a New York State-certified and trauma-informed Offender Workforce Development Specialist to identify and address the educational, vocational, social, and cognitive behavioral risk/needs of the individual under supervision for their optimum rehabilitative benefit. Wraparound services for job seekers include housing assistance, transportation, groceries, heat/light assistance, work identification retrieval, certificate of relief/good conduct/disposition applications, resume preparation, disability advocacy, financial literacy, career planning, child support arrears/visitation/custody advocacy, rap sheet review and repair, cell phone, and Wi-Fi services.