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Subscribe to RSSA jail in San Bruno, Calif., is helping incarcerated veterans heal from mental war wounds during their sentences.
For many military veterans, the transition to peace-time living is a tumultuous one. They discover the survival instincts and trip-wire reflexes they developed in the warzone are ill-suited for life in the civilian world.
The inability to leave the battlefield behind is landing growing numbers of vets behind bars, a problem that is leading law enforcement agencies around the country to look for new ways of assimilating the current wave of spiritually battered warriors.
Among the promising approaches to reduce recidivism among vets is the COVER Project at the San Francisco County Jail in San Bruno, Calif.
COVER -- Community of Veterans Engaged in Restoration -- was created in 2010 by the San Francisco Sheriff's Department to help veterans develop a new approach to life when their sentences are up.
Most veterans behind bars are there because of violence or drug- related offenses, according to Sunny Schwartz, the program administrator. In 2004, the most recent data available, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 57 percent of veterans in state prisons were serving time for violent offenses, with 22 percent doing time for drug-related offenses.
The project recognizes the unique needs of veterans, said Schwartz, which is why it provides services for them in a separate unit of the jail, away from the general inmate population.
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Upon entering the San Francisco jail system, veteran inmates are directed to the COVER Project's “pod” at the San Bruno Jail, where a variety of counseling programs are available. Some are aimed at building accountability and changing violent behaviors, while others concentrate on treating PTSD.
“They are addicted to a certain male role model, one that solves problems with violence and acts instinctively without considering the consequences,” said Sheriff’s Capt. Kevin Paulson, the San Bruno facility commander. “We are trying to change that and offer a new way of thinking.”
The “Man Alive” counseling program is one of many offered in the pod. It demands that the inmates acknowledge their violent behavior before the start of each class, then analyze past incidents with an instructor, who is usually an ex-convict and veteran himself.
Among the veterans in “Man Alive” is Aarin Ivans, a 38-year-old Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ivans, who has been in the COVER Project for the last few months, said he appreciates the new tools that he has obtained to help him act differently once he is released from jail.
"I never really had an opportunity to identify with the way other people feel -- the way they act toward their feelings and emotions," Ivans said. "I don't know that stuff."
Ida McCray, manager of the COVER Project, said that in addition to helping veterans stay out of jail once they are released, the nation needs to do a better job keeping them from being incarcerated in the first place.
“There is much more that we can do,” she said. “… We all, as a community, should make a much better effort in prevention, understanding, and helping veterans to stay out of jail.”
"Who would you rather come back to your neighborhood," Schwartz asked, "a man who has been spending eight hours a day to learn how to stop his violence, or someone who is sitting in his cell with all the time in the world to learn how to be a better criminal?"
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And all this time I thought that the Bush regime took care of the "heroes" who returned from war, instead the services for them on return were like Walter Reed, full of rats, roaches, crumbling walls and wires. It's easy to send someone to die in the name of machismo, another is to take care of that someone when he/she comes back with scars that will take years to heal.
And for those who say that they were fighting to defend our "freedoms", wake up, nobody went to Irak to defend our freedom, they went there to satisfy the greed of the war mongers and destroy a country that never harmed us. Our "freedoms" were not at stake in Irak.
Lol, really. Sooo...what are those same percentages for NON veterans. Hmmm. Stupid artical.
Why should they get any special treatment. Vets or not. Most of the men in my family served in the military, and fought in war. NONE of them have been to prison. Actually--the ones that HAVENT been in the military are the troubled ones.
And stupid what's your point???
I'm a retired, 2 war, infantryman, combat veteran. Most of these a$$ clowns were crappy soldiers, and do not deserve your pity only your contempt. Let them rot in prison.
I'm glad you said most, because it's not ALL of them Boozer, wow, what a name, kind of says it all for MOST soldiers that I know. They work, they drink, they fight...a vicious circle, sooner or later it catches up to you. Especially after several tours, maybe your a lucky one. You have a family, a job, a home, no nightmares, no drugs you have to take to keep the voices away, to help you sleep and you don't add the alcohol to help those pills along. By the way, if your using the VA, your claims went thru smoothly and your getting great benefits. Glad your okay BOOZER!!!
Air Force Vet and mother of a combat soldier
Well mama I think the point he was trying to make was while we were in we were held accountable and this is no different in the civilian world. Life is tough.
As usual NBC does not tell you the percentage of vets who end up in jail. This is another typical anti-military knife in the back article from the Progressive Socialist news outlet.
BLA BLA BLA BLA this people is what happens when you cradle the WEAK. Setting the standers lower makes it easier for people to get in who should have never been in the US Military in the First place.
Sam Stone-Daddy has a hole in his arm, and that's where the money goes....Jesus Christ died for nothin', I suppose..
I recommend the book, "Strong Hearts, Wounded Souls" by Tom Holm. While it specifically addressed the Native American Veterans returning from Vietnam, it touches on many "universal" experiences for returning veterans and how the VA took interest in how Native american communities dealt with their veterans and helped them to "re-connect".
I learned one thing when I enlisted in the army, 1961 and went "Airborne" 5th Special Forces Group. I learned that a good percentage of people had no business being in the military, as volunteers anyway. A person drafted is another thing because his service is forced upon him. Well, either way, a lot of attention is being paid to things like PTSD. Didn't ex-warriors coming home from WWI and WWII have problems? How did they manage to get by, and it's evident that most of them did get by? I'm not saying that PTSD isn't a valid problem, it evidently is because so many vets are told that they have it. I wonder how common the problem really is. I came back, friends came back, we got jobs, went to work and raised families. Hell, lol, I even know a few who would go back in a minute and did, re-enlisting for another tour. Why? Because as one told me; "Man, I never felt so alive, so intune as when I was walking point or waiting in ambush."
there are various reasons why vets end up in these situations many just cant handle situational changes as well as others. this isnt a vet problem in this case it is a people in general problem. some have experienced thing that no one who has not been in these situations can even imagine . It doesnt help that the military in its infinite wisdom tosses used up broken soldiers out into society with out a care. this coupled with a poor job market in a society that feels foreign to the soldier is a combination that creates a sever feeling of uslessness, brings on the urge to end it all, or a despiration to do whatever it takes to survive.
many feel like we dont fit anywhere anymore and become our own little world inside ourselves
Yeah, ok Dean. Combat soldiers are exposed to things that the average person will never experience. So what? Hell, part of my growing up was on Chicago's Skidrow, Carpenter and Madison Streets. I stepped over winos, bums, in the hallway on my way to grade school. I followed blood drops and found dead bodies, at age 11. I didn't develop PTSD. What I did see during 'Nam and after was a drop in the level of toughness relevant to the average person. Sure, a guy drafted from nice suburban America and sent to war had problems, all because he wasn't prepared. That's where the army failed, it failed to prepare the young troop. Lol, if the army had, had prepared him with video the momma's at home would have been going nuts; "You can't show my son that stuff, it's wrong!" Well, it's not wrong and it's easier to prepare a young warrior before he's exposed to his buddy, holding his guts in and screaming. Well, anyway, it may be that our young American men aren't as tough, as bad-ass as they need to be to fight our wars, and, lol, like it or not we ARE going to have to fight some wars. For some reason the young American men who landed at Normandy, fought across Europe, landed on islands in the Pacific were a tougher breed. Were they all that much different than today's young men? No, but, they did have motivation, they were out to win a war, not play at war like many of our politicians did during the 'Nam era, and, during the Korean War. Well, lol, I'm 71 now and it's all over for me but I worry about my four grand kids who will face a future of strife without preparation.
They are behind bars because the government is controlling opposition. A lot of these people are highly trained and know exactly what is going on in the world.
The truth is that society would rather INVENT a reason to incarcerate a veteran; a sick twisted rationalization...where the veteran was responsible by society, but society is irresponsible by them. I could list examples of how retired veterans were put through the kangaroo court in spite of evidence exonerating them.
Just stop already. I can tolerate an 8 year old whiny girl better than I can you. This article is garbage.
one of the best things we can do for our vets is not send them to ****holes like Iraq and Afcrapistan in the first place. I am so sick of our "leaders" getting us involved in wars that do nothing but drain resources and blood while accomplishing nothing. I am a navy vet 68-72 and you can include vietnam as another disaster for our country along with Iraq and Afcrapistan. Bring our troops home and take care of our internal problems. I'm pretty sure if anyone attacks us we can kick their ass. And you armchair warriors who will use 9-11 as justification for our military interventions I say BS. Our special forces and airpower overthrew the taliban we did not have to send 130,000 troops to try and pacify a 15th century country and we sure could have taken out Saddam Hussein for alot less than the trillion it has cost us. Once we leave Iraq guaranteed it will implode into tribal violence and chaos instigated by Iran. Tired of politicians enhancing careers and making money at the expense of the rest of us.
Could not agree with you more.
The only problem with your stance is that history proves it wrong. We can kick their ass? Lol, sure, if we have the will of the nation behind us to do it. We went into Vietnam when the French were losing it, to maintain a free South Vietnam against a Communist North Vietnam, because, if we didn't try Asian Communists were ready to move on other areas like India, Sri Lanka, etc. Maybe even the Phillippines because there were still pockets of Communist insurgents there. Well, today Saigon is Ho Chi Minh City, the Communists won. They won because they were highly motivated and willing to endure mass fire-power and napalm to further their agenda. Americans were not motivated, not like they were during the Korean War when, during the Peace Talks, we kept advancing North as PLA and North Korean attacks mounted. Personally, I think we've lost our will to win wars, we are not as tough as the "Greatest generation." Yeah well, we'd better toughen up because the Barbarians are on their way, and, they are motivated.
mellowfellow- regarding Vietnam, from what I've read and heard, the end of the war was a bit of a fluke. The North Vietnamese used up most of their resources in the Tet Offensive, and didn't have much reserves left. They thought that if the US came back with strong retaliation strikes, that they would likely have lost the war. Of course the US didn't know that the North didn't have much reserve resources left and thought that the cost of the war was getting too high and pulled out. If we had responded with retaliatory strikes, we might've won - who knows?
Absolutely correct Koz, at the end of the Tet offensive the VC were hanging on the ropes and the NVA had lost six line divisions. We should have pressed them hard, but, public opinion here was against any upscaling. All the anti-war protestors could talk about was how easily the VC infiltrated Saigon and launched an attack on our embassy. Not only was the North worried about a massive Allied move North, like what happened in Korea, but they also had to keep an eye on their supposed allies, the PRC. Read sometime about the skirmishes fought between the PLA and NVA on their common border. Well, a lot of American lives would have been saved if we had done things a little differently, like using nuclear mines along the DMZ. That war was another "Police action" like Korea, slap some hands, talk tough and that would be the end of it. Our military was certainly up to the job of winning but the anti-war protestors carried the day. That of course affected the guy on the ground, he felt sold-out, and, by his own country because the politicians caved to the anti-war movement, which, many average Americans supported because the anti-war movement won the propaganda battles, what with big name personalities like (Hanoi)Jane Fonda throwing them their support. Yeah well, it's all over now and hopefully we learned something, like; When you commit American troops you fight to win. Lol, we fought a anti-Communist war on Communist terms.
That's why in the days following 9-11, when everyone and their brother was clamoring to send our troops over to the Middle East, I was asking the hard questions like, "Will you still support the use of armed forces if and when this turns into a long war and when we run into many of the same issues we had in Vietnam?"; and I was telling people that, having previously served in the military, I wanted to let people know that if they want to send in troops, then get out of their way and let them do their job (keep politics out of it) and let them do it the right (proper) way - yes it will be violent, ugly and uncomfortable to hear about and or see - that's why they say "War is hell."; but you either fight to win or don't bother going at all.
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How about the veterans who go straight into the police forces without having gone through some help with this problem. They are set loose on the citizens with this attitude of its them against us.
If we are going to be in perpetual war with rest of the world, we need a draft. Everyone must compulsory serve in the military. Both males and females. If is good for Israel it it should be good for us.
Everyone after High School must serve in the military for at least two year. Everyone. If you are rich and send your child to study overseas, they are still required to serve in the military in order to to maintain their citizenship and they don't get to choose were they will be serving, no desk job because my daddy has connections nonsense.
There is no is no shortage of poor and unstable individuals going in to the military today. If you have pulse , you are in. This is totally unfair.
The military complex is all about the money, If we need the constant warlike hostility in order for the economy to prosper and war profiteers to continue making their money, then everyone must serve. Is an industry like any other right? It should not be on the backs of the poor and the mentally ill individuals that are presently in the military. Why is anyone surprise that vets are either suicidal, drug users or criminally institutionalize (Another Industry)
We can't continue beating our chest chanting USA, USA, USA and not participate on the real sacrifice.
Veteran's should not have to go to jail to get help with Post War afflictions. I think psychological evaluations should be mandatory for all (Combat) Veterans re-entering civilian life. If any assistance with readjustment or psychological healing is needed, it should be made immediately available to them. These are people who have put their lives on the line for their country, it is the least the country can do in return.
There really should be better civilian training similar to basic training. The mindset of being big, bad, lean, and mean is drilled into soldiers and that does not fly well in the real world. I have had problems myself and have
similar issues that took a lot of time to change. At the least, I think all vets should undergo counseling similar to anger management or the Duluth methods to help restore or change core values. At the least, get the soldier to
think about normal again.
I recentlycame home in December from Afghanistan. That was my 4th tour!!! Everyone always talks about helping Vets, but, that is just that TALK. I plead guilty to an offense in Oct of 2010, then Deployed to Afghanistan. I returned in December and was sentenced in January to a felony!!! WTF!!!!!!! I have been jumping through @!$%#ing hoops every since. First the system, then the probation deptartment and police.. People are quick to tell you thanks for your service or we know what you went throuhg. NO YOU DON'T!!!! If we don'task for help leave us alone. If we do, then HELP!!! We are not a DISEASE and we don't bite. Giving us time to adjust helps alot!!!
What an excellent program this is!! What most people don't understand is that when a solider comes back from combat, it will take them years, even decades to reassimilate themselves back into society in a productive manner. In the meantime, they suffer daily from various physical and mental disorders. Their families also suffer.
We have really let these young people down when we fail to understand just how much they have given up for us. I hope that we see this kind of program expand and I hope that we understand that we need to take care of each other, because no-one is going to.
Yes, the program is great.... but look at where they are. Even if the program helps, what type of life do you think they will have with a prison record.
This is a great program at the wrong time. Programs like this should be available 'before' prison.
And where is the incompetent, inefficient, wasteful, bungling Veteran's Admin in all of this? Oh wait, never mind.
the VA has greatly improved its care and is trying to handle as much as possible but without funds, enough space and a lack of good medical professionals they are swamped. A new patient can take up to 6 months to get into the system and be evaled and it really dosnt help that 30% of the claims are fraudulent just trying to beat the system.
Fact is when we have a Republican ran government the va and other military related enities can run more efficiently do to budget increases under a democrat rule they suffer terribly in the finance department
Something about the VA and it's hospitals that we don't usually think about; Working in a VA hospital is not a great career to many people. How many people are willing to spend their working day caring for cripped veterans, cleaning them on tables, listening to their stories? The pay isn't all that great either. My wife was a RN, worked once for a nursing service that provided nurses to VA hospitals. One time she was sent to a VA hospital in PA, spent four weeks there and came home damn near bawling every night. The VA does what it can with the resources that it has, and, it does a good job within the constaints of a tax based budget. Anyway, our disabled veterans are better cared for than those in some other nations who throw them some crumbs of food and let them sit on street corners begging. And then, lol, move them on because they're upsetting to people.
war never tells who right, only who's left.
The Military should be responsible for this @!$%#. They shouldnt release war stricken military personell back into society without first de-militarizing them. There should be some type of pre-release program for these guys before entering back into society. But as we all know, once the Military gets what they need out of you, there finished with ya.
my father is a disabled veteran from 2 tours in Vietnam and my brother did 2 tours this time around. i am so proud and thankful to ALL VETERANS for putting their lives on the line for our freedoms and safety. my father has been so hindered by his experiences and tried to drink them away for so many years. i worry about my brother,but so far he has become a state trooper for Maryland and has married a really sweet woman. i have often wondered why someone hasn't done more for our veterans. they are scarred and wounded,whether or not they were physically wounded or not. i wish there was something that i could do as well. God bless this man for opening his eyes and his heart. i hope that the many men and women who have served our country see and understand how wonderful he is. this has actually raised my spirits today and brought tears to my eyes. this is not something that really ever happens to me. thank you. AND THANK YOU TO ALL OUR VETERANS AND MEN AND WOMEN STILL SERVING OUR COUNTRY,PROTECTING OUR RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS! you are all in my thoughts and prayers.
Our worthless and highly stupid GOVERNMENT should be helping these returning Vets, plus the ones that are already here..........This government that we have right now, makes me sick! these men and women go fight for our freedoms and then are treated like they don't exist. But then too...the VA doesn't give a wit about Veterans either!!!
Our vets should be a priority when they come back from war zones. We need to deal with the issues they bring back with them. They make the ultimate sacrifice by placing their life on the line for our freedoms. We owe them that much and more.
Interesting points that you and KP put forth. Right, something should be done for our Vets when they come home, so, are you willing to pay the taxes to provide all those services? Lol, nobody volunteers at VA hospitals and clinics to provide all the help needed, required.