NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 2026) — Connecting justice-involved veterans with effective support often depends on how well public systems work together. That intersection of justice, healthcare, behavioral health, and veteran services was central to All Rise RISE26, held July 20–23 in Nashville, Tennessee, where the Los Angeles County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (MVA) joined professionals from across the country to explore research and emerging practices in treatment, recovery, and justice innovation.
Throughout the event, MVA staff attended educational sessions and contributed to conference programming, reflecting both the department’s commitment to continuous learning and its role in sharing local experience with practitioners from across the country.
MVA Director Jim Zenner, Cameron Cook, supervisor for MVA’s Justice-Involved Veterans (JIV) Services Division, and Dr. Randee McLain-Malone, LCSW, lead consultant with MVA’s JIV program, presented Systemic Barriers and Pathways Forward: Lessons Learned from Justice-Involved Veterans System Evaluation.
“The department is committed to creating a seamless system for veterans intersecting with our justice system, not only because it is a county priority, but because we know it is the right thing to do,” said Zenner. “I hope that the takeaway for our colleagues across the country is that LA County MVA doesn’t shy away from a challenge and that Government Veteran Service Offices (GVSOs) play a critical role in assisting our Veteran Treatment Courts.”
The session examined how justice-involved veterans navigate multiple public systems and identified opportunities to strengthen coordination among the organizations that serve them.
“Our systems evaluation reminded us that justice-involved veterans do not experience courts, treatment, housing, healthcare, and reentry as separate systems. Their needs intersect, and our response must be equally coordinated,” McLain-Malone said. “By identifying veterans earlier, strengthening partnerships, expanding treatment and peer support, and using data to guide our decisions, we can build pathways that promote recovery, stability, and long-term success.”
Justice-involved veterans may encounter courts, correctional agencies, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), county departments, behavioral health providers, housing organizations, and community-based service providers throughout their journey.
“Every entity involved in the court process from law enforcement through re-entry support is critical. All must commit to identifying every veteran that their agency interacts with and also have a streamlined referral process,” said Zenner. “VA does not serve everyone who served in the military so it is extremely important that every jurisdiction understands this and that they leverage their GVSO and county departments to fill in the gaps and ensure military cultural competency in the services they provide to VA ineligible veterans.”
Understanding how those systems intersect, where barriers exist, and where opportunities for stronger coordination can be found has become an increasingly important focus for organizations working to improve partnerships and outcomes for veterans.
“We hope attendees took away the importance of examining the entire system, not simply an individual program or court, to understand where justice-involved veterans encounter barriers and where opportunities for earlier intervention exist,” McLain-Malone said. “Improving outcomes requires agencies to work across traditional boundaries and coordinate services at every point, from first contact with law enforcement through court involvement, reentry, and community supervision.”
Veterans Treatment Courts are one example of that collaborative approach in practice. Since the first Veterans Treatment Court was established in Buffalo, New York, in 2008, the model has expanded to hundreds of jurisdictions nationwide through partnerships among the courts, the VA, behavioral health providers, veteran peer mentors, and community organizations.
“Meeting Judge Robert T. Russell Jr., who established the nation’s first Veterans Treatment Court, was the most impactful moment of the conference for me,” Cook said. “Hearing how the movement began and how the local veteran community rallied behind it reinforced the importance of collaboration in serving justice-involved veterans.”
For MVA, participating in national forums such as RISE26 provides an opportunity to both contribute local experience and learn from practitioners across the country.
“What I learned at RISE26 further reinforces the work that MVA JIV is doing with the Countywide Criminal Justice Coordination Committee (CCJCC) in terms of court standardization to continue to pursue the All Rise VTC Best Practice Standards including staffing meetings, phased structures, risks/needs analysis, and incentives/sanctions, just to name a few important recommendations,” Cook said.
Those insights help inform the department’s work with courts, the VA, behavioral health providers, and community organizations throughout Los Angeles County, reinforcing a shared commitment to strengthening coordination and expanding pathways to treatment, recovery, housing, benefits, and long-term success for justice-involved veterans.
“LA County is all in on our Care First Jail Last initiatives. The Board has been vocal both in action and words in support of our efforts,” Zenner said. “It is an area of service that veterans and the public care a lot about. With that type of support, I know our team will make progress in partnership with our federal VA here in Los Angeles.”
Connect with Justice-Involved Veterans Services
Veterans involved in the criminal justice system, or family members, attorneys, justice partners, and service providers seeking assistance on a veteran’s behalf, can email JIVTeam@mva.lacounty.gov or submit a request through MVA’s Contact Us page at https://mva.lacounty.gov/contact-us/.
Story by Ashley Cohen, Public Information Associate, Los Angeles County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
Photos courtesy of Cameron Cook, Supervisor, Justice–Involved Veterans Services, Los Angeles County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
