Nov. 10, 2011
Justice Stratton to Speak at Veterans Event on Veterans Day
Supreme Court of Ohio Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, who has been a leader in establishing veteran courts in Ohio and nationally, and who has been heavily involved in veterans presentations surrounding Veterans Day, will be the keynote speaker at the Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center’s annual program called “Homeless Summit: A Call to Action” on Veterans Day. Around 200 attendees will listen to Justice Stratton present about recent homeless veterans’ issues and veterans’ justice initiatives.
Justice Stratton will then join Doug Lay with the Franklin County Veteran Service Commission, Judge Scott VanDerKarr with the Franklin County Municipal Court, Bea Bartram with VA Healthcare and Outreach, and Adam Ruege with Columbus VA Homeless to participate in a panel discussion.
Justice Stratton is actively involved in veteran courts and helping returning veterans receive the help they need if they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or other health issues. Justice Stratton has participated and will participate in the following events surrounding Veterans Day.
She participated in a “Veterans in the Criminal Justice System” panel discussion on Nov. 4 at the Ohio Criminal Justice Services conference at The Ohio State University.
Sponsored by the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS), Justice Stratton, along with Judge Jerry Ault of the Mansfield Municipal Court, and Kieran Hurley, program coordinator with the Hamilton County Common Pleas Veteran Treatment Court and Mental Health Court, spoke about the need to identify veterans as they enter the criminal justice system so that they can access the wealth of VA resources that exist to help them. Justice Stratton also presented on the Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) Program, which connects the veterans with those services, and other ways the court can help veterans heal from the wounds of war.
On Nov. 9, Justice Stratton took part in the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s (ODPS) Veterans Ceremony presentation in Columbus. Justice Stratton, along with OCJS, presented two $35,000 grants to both Mansfield Municipal Court Judge Jerry Ault and Youngstown Municipal Court Judge Robert Milich, who operate the two first veterans’ courts in Ohio. The money will support future efforts with veterans’ courts. The event also honored ODPS employee Dennis Tomcik with the 2011 Military Service Award.
On Nov. 14, Justice Stratton will speak in Gahanna on “Awareness of Distressed Combat Veteran Issues and Response Training” hosted by the Ohio State University, MetroHealth General Medical Center, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, the Gahanna Police Department, and the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.
In 1989, Justice Stratton became the first woman to be elected judge of the Franklin County Common Pleas Court. It was there she earned her reputation as “The Velvet Hammer” for her approach to sentencing in serious felony cases. She has served on the Supreme Court of Ohio since 1996. Justice Stratton led major changes in adoption law and mental-health reforms in the courts, both in Ohio and nationally. She focuses on trying to divert persons with mental illness from the court system back into care in the mental-health system. Her latest focus in Ohio and nationally is on establishing veterans courts to help those returning veterans with PTSD and other issues, whose problems may lead to involvement in the criminal justice system.
For a high-resolution, print-quality photo of Justice Stratton, visit: http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/PIO/news/images/justices/stratton_highres.zip.
Contact: Chris Davey or Bret Crow at 614.387.9250.