Baker’s hard work and commitment
to veterans leads to significant, positive change
John Baker, Hamline JD ’03, is adamant about the need for Veterans
Courts in Minnesota and the reasons why veterans need them.
"There were 3.5 million Americans who served in Vietnam,” he says.
“Of those there were 1 to 1.5 million who suffered psychological injuries. Half
of those had contact with the criminal justice system."
Baker is a criminal defense attorney who focuses on
representing veterans in the criminal justice system. He has seen far too often that the first call for help from
many veterans comes from the back seat of a squad car. And he wants to change
that. It is this kind of concern and commitment that resulted in his recently
being one of only 20 practitioners to be selected Attorney of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer. The honorees were
chosen based on leadership in the profession; involvement in major cases or
other newsworthy events; excellence in corporate or transactional services and
public service.
In September 2009, U.S. Representative Tim Walz
asked Baker to start veterans’ treatment courts in Minnesota. And start them he
did. Baker spearheaded the effort to bring all the key players to the table.
His efforts helped to connect the dots to develop a valuable program for
veterans without costing the state additional money because it is comprised of
existing resources.
There are about 40-45 veterans going through that
court with a 0% recidivism rate. Baker points out that the first Veterans Court
in the country, started by Judge Russell in Buffalo, New York in 2008, has seen
an almost 100% success rate in its program. He states that "it is good
public policy as it will reduce the cost of having to incarcerate veterans in
the long run." Veterans Courts are not a get out of jail card for
veterans, but rather, it holds them accountable for their actions while at the
same time getting veterans help for any psychological trauma they may have. The
court requires veterans to follow a strict, personalized treatment program
designed by the judge, probation officers, social workers, defense and
prosecuting attorneys and the Veterans Administration. The goal is to expand
the program throughout Minnesota.
Baker’s work on behalf of veterans is based on a
belief that "what we did after Vietnam was to incarcerate those
veterans." A recent Rand Corporation study estimated that nearly 20 percent
of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans -- 300,000 in all -- are returning with
symptoms of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Only slightly half of those
have sought treatment. Of that group, only half received minimally adequate
treatment. Hennepin County, with
the state's largest veteran population, is running the pilot program in
Minnesota.
Baker believes "we owe it to this generation of veterans who
volunteered to fight these wars to get them help. Veterans Courts will do
that."