If there is a written rule or unwritten rule that war service comes with the benefit of: all the rules don't apply to the veteran, then, you are giving certain people an invitation to do wrong. And what about the victims of veterans who get leniency? Is it fair to them? What's wrong with the concept that getting your just punishment should send you on the right path?

And let's not forget how only a few people can tarnish the image of all veterans. Misbehaving veterans encourage the so-called anti-war people. And the anti-war people encourage the enemy.

It would be hard to believe that the military would even take them if they had an existing criminal record.

Thumbs up.

intheloop, I agree.

If they have not had any legal trouble prior to this offense then I say go for it. Any criminal offense going back to before they joined the service should be a disqualifer.

Rock County needs to invest in indivuals they believe are salvagable. Everyone has made mistakes. Some make them because life hasn't been kind to them, and unfortunately they don't have the support to "do the right thing." That includes our veterans. Let's look at each individual and stop making snap judgements about crime. Police, and prosecutors should do the same. They are so ready to give everybody a ticket for a driving offense, but never willing to understand the individual circumstance that made the violation occur. Or the hardship that FINE will do to the family. Extend this hand even farther than this court. That will make Rock County a great place to live.

As for why we have so many people in prison: The American brand of consumerism, inextricably tied to capitalism, kicked into high gear around the time the prison population increased. Couple that with the scooterian sense of victimhood that many people wallow in, along with how too many people in a free society feel pathologically over-entitled to unearned happiness and unearned objects and you have a lot of criminality. In those circumstances it's good that a lot of people are in prison. It's much much better for those of us who choose to be sensible about what we are entitled to.

with all the advancements in medicine now, servicemen are surviving injuries that used to be fatal. it is a whole new war with new struggles and scenarios. they deserve all the help they need to readjust to life after the war. Semper Fi.

This is the kind of stuff that makes our world better for everyone forever.

OkieFed, the US used to have normal incarceration rates comparable to other countries, but especially beginning around 1980 ours have skyrocketed. The US now puts more people in jail for longer periods than any other country. Do you believe this policy has reduced crime? Has it made us safer? Read Sen. Jim Webb's thoughts:
http://www.parade.com/news/2009/03/why-w...
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Politicians and some members of the public are far more likely to believe in increasing incarceration and making it more severe than anyone actually involved in the criminal justice system. The professionals who come in contact all day, every day with those in the maw of the machine understand that it is often chance that has landed individuals there in the first place, and that there are vast disparities between defendants' treatment based on their race and the race of their victims. It is a deeply unequal system and one of the greater shames of our great nation.

hermione, the overwhelming majority of people with mental disorders, including war veterans with mental disorders, are not violent.

usenet, read the book Stolen Valor re: the matter of fake vets.

There was a fake Nam vet who became an important person in a veterans group. When the fake vet was exposed, the real vets made excuses for him, claiming that the war was so traumatic for everyone in this country that it cause a non-veteran to become a fake veteran.

A big difference between the WWII era and today is that now we have a volunteer military and not a draft. During WWII nearly all young men went to war and when it ended some came back. So the men of a certain age had all experienced the same type of things. Whether or not they ever discussed what had happened to them, there had to be a certain understanding amongst a large percentage of the nation's population.

After WWII there *were* people with PTSD ("shell shocked") with the most severely affected warehoused in the V.A. hospitals. Today people are not institutionalized unless they are proven to be an immediate danger to themselves or others. Only the most severely affected are given counseling and all are eventually released back into public life where they feel isolated and ill prepared to cope with civilian life... and that is what has led us to our present situation. Trauma and stress affect different people in different (and often unpredictable) ways. We give individualized medical treatment to service people with physical injuries, why should treatment/consideration of psychological injuries be any different?

What I detest is the individual that wears awards not earned. What I detest is the one who flagrantly uses the uniform and it's medals for personnal gain, tho he/she may never have served in the Armed Forces. Military returning back to the civilian world have a lot to readjust to and sometimes help is late but if it finally shows-up then that is all the better for all. No sense in being so negative.

This issue always ignores the fact that a sliver of one-percent of all war veterans have post-service criminal problems. This issue always ignores the the fact that criminal behavior by war veterans is consistent with the rate of such problems in the general population.

Where is the concern for how those people reflect negatively on the ninty-nine percent-plus war veterans who do not commit crimes. The so-called anti-war element loves to hear about war veterans committing anti-social behavior. The anti-war element is encouraged by this. And the enemy is encouraged by the the anti-war element.

Ninety-nine percent-plus of war veterans detest what the few do to the image of war veterans.

Would the military legal system give a male war veteran a special program and leniency after he strikes a female service-member? No.

My Godfather (not Grandfather) did have problems with the authorities. He did rise above it after a tough 10-15 years of dealing with seeing all of the death and destruction. He eventually remarried, owned his own business and died a beloved man. In 50 years he never once talked of his service and the detail behind his medal wasn't known until after his funeral.

OkieFed: Ever been in the military? Thought not.

okie These types of issues have been apparent for years, but no one really ever put a name to it. Sometimes (most of the time) these BRAVE soldiers think that if they speak out about the problem then they are showing cowardous. Instead of your harsh words against the system and our soldiers, maybe you should understand what these individuals must be going through. They are taught to FIGHT-FIGHT-FIGHT. They then come home to their families with the same mentality. People revert back to "normal" life at different stages, sometimes it is just too late before that first altercation starts.

I think it is a great program. My Godfather was one of those WWII vets, Okiefed, who could have really used this service. He received a Bronze Star and was a hero coming back but could not adjust and ran into problems. It took him 20 years of these problems and a divorce to come out of the mental issues caused by his service at the Battle of the Bulge. He and these veterans deserve a chance and some support to make the adjustment.

Would you rather fill the jails and prisons with these Vets or give them a chance to contribute to society? Try not to be so narrow minded.

I think its a great idea for first time offenders, especially those who have recently been discharged.

From a purely pragmatic sense I bet it saves money in the long run. Its a lot cheaper to treat than incarcerate.

Soldiers are conditioned to go into battle, but the sad thing is that they are not conditioned to come OUT of battle. Those who come out and have a difficult time readjusting to society need to be helped. There are a lot out there that need it. It is about time that we look at this as an illness and I hope all of us understand the emotional stress that they must have gone through. Good luck to all of the active and non active military personnel that are going through this and THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!!!!!