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Mass. Veterans Look To Treatment Court For Help

DEDHAM, Mass. - A special court in Dedham has been helping military veterans get their lives back together.

The Norfolk County Veterans Treatment Court is currently working with about 26 veterans who have been placed on probation for various crimes. The court is the first of its kind in Massachusetts and one of about 130 veteran treatment courts around the country.

The veterans are required to attend a court session each week and report to a probation officer and judge on their progress in treatment programs.

Ed Cowen is an ex-Marine from Taunton who served seven months fighting in Iraq. He says the program has helped him cope with the anxiety attacks and nightmares he had after returning home in 2009.

A second Massachusetts veterans' court is planned for Boston.

The first veterans' court was started in Buffalo, N.Y., in 2008.

This program aired on December 25, 2013. The audio for this program is not available.

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