WASHINGTON (AP) — Two former Iraq and Afghanistan War-era defense secretaries are recommending that the government consider new ways to ensure that military service is taken into account when courts prosecute former service members.
The Veterans Justice Commission, led by onetime Pentagon chiefs Chuck Hagel and Leon Panetta, has come out with the suggestions after reports that a concerning number of veterans have been convicted of crimes since leaving military service.
The commission was tasked with examining the extent to which veterans are getting in trouble with the law, whether they're receiving appropriate transitional assistance when they no longer are in the armed services and how they're treated once they enter the criminal justice system.
