FREDERICK, Md. (KR) Some veterans will have another option for sentencing with a new treatment court for veterans in Frederick County. Instead of going to a normal Circuit Court courtroom, if a veteran is in trouble with the law, they can now apply to be heard in a special treatment court that steers them into specialized programs.
Scott Rolle, Frederick County Circuit Court Judge and veteran himself, says the veterans docket is held on the last Wednesday of every month and has been very successful so far.
“They stand at parade rest in front of the court, which is a military way of standing, and what I found is that as soon as they’re called by that rank, we start with the Pledge of Allegiance, and everything changes. They sort of buck up, for lack of a better term, and the military values that they spent years with come back,” said Judge Rolle.
He said the veterans feel like they are being heard and better understood in the new specialized treatment court.
“These guys want to be responsible people, but they’re thrown into this highly disciplined environment, sent into harms way in many instances and then they say “we’re done with you, thank you, see you” and they’re thrown back out there,” explained Judge Rolle.
To be in the program, defense attorneys must apply on behalf of their clients. Judge Rolle and the prosecutors then meet and make a final decision on whether or not the defendant is a good candidate.