{"id":5701,"date":"2026-08-31T14:10:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T14:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/?p=5701"},"modified":"2026-08-31T14:11:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T14:11:00","slug":"a-second-chance-in-the-courtroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/a-second-chance-in-the-courtroom\/","title":{"rendered":"A second chance in the courtroom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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New on VA News<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
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A second chance in the courtroom: Veteran found healing<\/h2>\n\n\n
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By April Eilers, Public Affairs Officer, Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

August 31, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once people find themselves in a courtroom with a judge, they typically never want to return. That was not the case for Army Veteran Jimmy Wigington, where the courtroom became a place of hope, not judgment. It became a place where he received a second chance and was inspired to help others find theirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wigington graduated from the Washington County Veterans Treatment Court<\/a> (VTC) in December 2025. VTC offers specialized court programs that provide justice-involved Veterans with opportunities for rehabilitation, treatment and recovery instead of traditional sentencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This collaborative approach is made possible through the strong partnership between the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks<\/a> (VHSO), the judiciary, and county probation offices. Through their collaboration, they consistently monitor each Veteran\u2019s progress to support adherence to individualized treatment plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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View the full article on VA News<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Paying it forward: One Veteran\u2019s healing journey through treatment court<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":5702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"priority":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[104],"class_list":["post-5701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-va-news","tag-veterans-treatment-court"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/a-second-chance-in-the-courtroom\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"A second chance in the courtroom","url":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/a-second-chance-in-the-courtroom\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/a-second-chance-in-the-courtroom\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/08\/secondchanceinthecourtroom.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/08\/secondchanceinthecourtroom.png"},"articleSection":"VA News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shawn Liu"}],"creator":["Shawn Liu"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"VA Homeless Programs","logo":""},"keywords":["veterans treatment court"],"dateCreated":"2026-08-31T14:10:03Z","datePublished":"2026-08-31T14:10:03Z","dateModified":"2026-08-31T14:11:00Z"},"rendered":"