VETERANS DEFENSE PROJECT
Programs
Veterans Defense Project
Veterans Defense Project (VDP) advocates point to Minnesota law as a pioneering model for treatment over penalties. Since August 2021, when Gov. Tim Walz signed the Veterans Restorative Justice Act, or VRJA, allowing veterans to avoid jail time for certain crimes by instead taking intensive steps to treat the underlying trauma related to their service.We became frustrated with the way the courts were dealing or failing to deal with them, said Brock Hunter, a criminal defense attorney in Minneapolis & co-founder of the Veterans Defense Project. Hunter has worked on cases involving veterans for decades.In 2023, VDP co-founders Brock Hunter & Ryan Else worked with the Veterans Justice Commission, a national project chaired by former U.S. Defense Secretary & U.S. Senator Charles Hagel & includes former Defense Secretary & White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta to assess & make recommendations around policies that can improve outcomes for justice-involved veterans & their communities. That work led to the adoption of the Veterans Justice Act by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in August 2023. Nebraska became the first state to pass the Veterans Justice Act in early 2024.On November 9, 2023, the VDP hosted a large event at the University of St. Thomas School of Law to draw national attention to how the restorative justice approach is working in Minnesota & to highlight how it is being used as a model for veterans sentencing legislation in other states through the work of the Veterans Justice Commission. Senior Distinguished Fellow & law professor Hank Shea & Ryan Else, a St. Thomas School of Law alum & co-founder of the VDP, both played pivotal roles in making this law a reality along with many other VDP members.The VDP has also been working to collect & analyze data related to justice-involved veterans & the outcomes from their involvement in veterans treatment courts. At the request of lawmakers, the VDP helped craft a Minnesota statute directing the Courts & the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission to collect & report on the number of veterans sentenced under the VRJA & whether or not they succeeded on probation. The VDP has applied for grant funding to study directly the improved life outcomes of veterans in the Twin Cities Metro Area veterans treatment courts.In late 2023, the VDP began a project to recruit mentors from Minnesota corporations to serve as mentors to justice-involved veterans.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2023 – Dec 31, 2023Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$21.4K
Copyright 2026. All rights reserved to Chario Inc. (d.b.a. Impala)