All Community Courts are located in the same court house at 909 N. Main Street, Santa Ana, CA. 92701. They include Homeless Court, Mental Health Court and Veteran’s Court.
Veteran’s Court: Orange County is one of the pioneers of Veteran’s Court and helped establish a national model for veterans returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan who find themselves charged with crimes. The court initially only accepted veterans of combat but now it also accepts veterans who have been victims of sexual assault in the military. While most of the veterans are from recent conflicts some of those accepted are from conflicts going back to Vietnam. If one is accepted to Veteran’s Court the individual must follow his/her course of treatment to include meetings for substance abuse if applicable, meetings with counselors, psychologist or psychiatrist as directed and other customized counseling requirements. The veteran is eligible to get the entire case and all charges DISMISSED if he/she follows the rules and completes the course of treatment. Veteran’s Court usually takes about 18 months to two years. In addition to a support staff which includes counselors, probation officers and psychologists the veteran is also assigned a mentor who is also a veteran of the military. This mentor acts as a big brother/sister to the veterans and offers guidance and advice as the veteran navigates the Veteran’s Court and his/her personal issues which brought them to the court in the first place. Attorney Will Bruzzo is himself a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a mentor at the Veteran’s Court in Orange County. Please contact him at (714) 547-4636 for information regarding this opportunity veterans charged with crimes.