NC H440

Establishes one Veterans Treatment Court program for the Fourth Judicial District (Duplin, Sampson, Jones, and Onslow Counties) to address specialized problems faced by veterans in the criminal justice system.

Allows prosecutors and defendants to jointly apply for veteran participation in the program at any time during criminal prosecution as a condition of probation, deferred prosecution agreement, or conditional discharge.

Requires eligible defendants to be veterans honorably discharged from the Armed Forces and to attend at least one court session per month while participating in mental health services, drug treatment, alcohol treatment, or other veteran-specific services.

Appropriates $100,000 in recurring annual funds to the Administrative Office of the Courts for each year of the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium to fund a coordinator position for the program.

Appropriations funding becomes effective July 1, 2021; all other provisions become effective October 1, 2021.