OGDEN — In a bid to help military veterans in the justice system contending with drug and mental health issues, Weber County leaders are pursuing creation of a special court meant to help them address their particular needs.

“The focus is really more on getting them treatment, support and rehabilitation rather than incarceration,” said Jim Retallick, director of the Weber Public Defender Group and a key force behind the effort. The public defender group provides attorneys for indigent people facing criminal charges in Weber County.

The proposed veteran treatment court serving Utah’s 2nd District Court system in Weber, Davis and Morgan counties would be geared to lower-level criminal offenders who have served in the military. The focus would be on helping them “achieve sobriety, recovery

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