Johnson County courts are expanding programs to help people get treatment instead of punishment

Incarcerated individuals with mental illness spend an average of 21 days in jail and are at higher risk of physical illness and death. Johnson County plans to add another specialty court focused on treating these issues rather than punishing them.
In a packed courtroom in Johnson County, Eddie Luster stood for his fellow veterans as they presented the United States flag.

After two years of work, Wednesday was Luster's graduation day from veterans treatment court.

Luster spent three years in the U.S. Army, served in the National Guard and deployed in Saudi Arabia. But after he left the service, he grappled with the emotional toll. It led to him acting out — to the point where he ran afoul of the law.

Usually, he would have gone to court and ultimately been on probation. But in Johnson County, he had the option to go through a court specifically created with veterans in mind.

"This whole thing is like grace and mercy," Luster said. "Grace means getting something good that you don't deserve. That's what this is. Mercy is not getting something bad that you do deserve. That applies here too."

The aim of veterans treatment court — and others specializing in mental health or drug issues — is to get people treatment, instead of punishment, to keep them out of further legal trouble.

The process can take anywhere from a year to two years to complete.