SF2 Summary

• Courts must assess whether defendants charged with Severity Level 7, D7, or lower offenses allege their crimes resulted from service-related sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, PTSD, substance abuse, or mental health conditions before accepting guilty pleas.

• Eligible veterans may receive probation without a judgment of guilt and be ordered into treatment programs instead of incarceration, with probation periods not exceeding the maximum sentence for the offense.

• Upon successful probation completion, including participation in court-ordered treatment and demonstration of no danger to public safety, charges may be dismissed and records sealed as "not public" records.

• Counties and judicial districts may establish optional veterans treatment court programs using veterans service officers and VA specialists to supervise probation with nonadversarial approaches and coordinated treatment services.

• Counties and cities may create veterans pretrial diversion programs allowing prosecutors to dismiss charges if offenders successfully complete VA-recommended treatment without entering a guilty plea.