PROGRESS UPDATE

Fall 2025

Despite major efforts by government agencies, community organizations, and families, far too many veterans are falling through the cracks as they struggle with mental health and substance use disorders, the aftereffects of traumatic brain injuries, and homelessness. These risk factors are sometimes caused or intensified by military service, and can increase the likelihood that veterans will have contact with the criminal justice system.In 2022, the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) launched the Veterans Justice Commission, a multi-year research, policy development, and communications project to document and raise awareness of the unique challenges facing veterans in the civilian justice system and build consensus and political momentum for evidence-based reforms that enhance safety, health, and justice.

Commission Members

CCJ assembled a diverse group with deep experience to develop a research agenda and policy recommendations. Led by former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, the Commission also includes former defense secretary and White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, a former sergeant major of the Marine Corps, the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, two formerly incarcerated veterans, and other top military, veterans, and criminal justice leaders. The group’s caliber and active engagement have drawn attention to the complex factors driving veterans into the justice system and built political support for solutions at all levels of government.

Recommendations and Research

Through dozens of meetings and deliberations facilitated by CCJ staff, the Commission reached consensus on 11 findings and recommendations grounded in data, research, and the expertise of members.The proposals target three phases: service members’ transition from active duty to civilian life, arrest through sentencing, and reentry and employment. Key recommendations include making transition a core Department of Defense mission, expanding access to VA health care, improving identification of veterans in the justice system, creating a national center to coordinate support for justice-involved veterans, and prioritizing business sector hiring of “second chance” veterans.

The Commission also produced a Model Policy Framework that encourages states to expandalternatives to prosecution and incarceration for justice-involved veterans, and released a dozen publications examining research on veterans’ suicide risk, health care access, service-related risk factors for criminal behavior, and other topics.

Success and Impact

The Commission’s final phase of work is focused on disseminating its recommendations and research to policymakers, the veterans community, the criminal justice field, and key government agencies and community organizations through an aggressive outreach strategy.

National Engagement

On the national level, our team’s frequent visits to Washington continue to bear fruit. The FY26 Senate CJS included $5 million in funding for the commission’s recommended National Center for Veterans Justice, the Senate’s FY26 National Defense Authorization Act includes language aligned with a commission proposal to make military-to-civilian transition a core priority within the Department of Defense, and in early October, Commission Director David MacEwen provided opening and closing remarks at a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs roundtable discussion on “Justice for Veterans: Is the Legal System Serving our Veterans Well.” Other recent highlights include:

  • Meeting with Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to discuss Commission recommendations, particularly those that would require VA action.
  • Briefing staffers for the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs to share Commission recommendations and discuss plans for a hearing focused on justice-involved veterans.
  • Presenting the Commission’s work at the American Legion Winter 2025 conference and partnering with the organization’s policy team to incorporate Commission recommendations into a resolution for consideration by the American Legion’s National Executive Committee.

State Engagement

In April 2024, Nebraska became the first state to enact legislation based on the commission’s Model Policy Framework, which provides a roadmap to expand alternatives to prosecution and incarceration for justice-involved veterans; Virginia, Texas, and Arkansas have followed with their own legislation, and 15 additional states have introduced more than 40 bills related to the framework and other commission recommendations.

CCJ team engagement at the state level includes:

  • The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) adopted the framework as “model policy," and National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) published a policy brief on the commission's work, reflecting significant bipartisan interest.
  • All Rise, the national organization that represents treatment courts for veterans and other specialized populations, endorsed the framework as an important expansion of front-end responses for veterans.
  • Briefing dozens of legislators across the country on the Model Policy Framework and the Commission’s full set of findings and recommendations.
  • Testifying before the Pennsylvania House Judiciary and Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committees.
  • Addressing legislator-members of the Military and Veterans Task Forces with the American Legislative Exchange Council and National Conference of State Legislators.
  • Promoting the Commission’s findings and recommendations at conferences, webinars, and other stakeholder gatherings.

Business Sector Engagement

The hiring of people with criminal records, a practice often referred to as “second chance” or “fair chance” employment, has become increasingly popular within the American business community in recent years, but there is no large-scale initiative to hire veterans with a history of justice involvement. To encourage industry to recruit and employ veterans with a history of justice system involvement, the commission collaborated with the Second Chance Business Coalition to produce a Model Hiring Policy for Business; using principles outlined in the policy, Amazon has started a pilot program in Ohio to provide a white-glove hiring opportunity for veterans with a criminal record.

In the News

The Commission’s work has attracted significant attention from the media. Coverage includes an Associated Press story that appeared in more than 300 outlets, as well as articles in The New York Times, The Washington Post, MSNBC, NPR, CNN, the Washington Examiner, Governing, the Military Times, and other national and regional publications. Commission members have authored 10 opinion pieces for a range of media outlets. These include a piece in USA Today by Chuck Hagel and Eileen Moore highlighting the challenges veterans face upon returning to civilian life, a piece in The Hill from Hagel and Leon Panetta on the experience of post-9/11 veterans, an op-ed for Military.com by Carla Bugg on the need to better identify veterans at the front end of the justice system, a piece in Governing by Brock Hunter on how states can better support veterans, and a USA Today commentary urging the restoration of VA healthcare for incarcerated veterans by Commission Adviser Manny Menendez.

Staff and Transitions

Director Jim Seward departed in January 2025 to become the Adjutant General for the state of West Virginia, but the commission remains in very good hands, with Brigadier General David MacEwen, who has served as an adviser to the panel since its launch, stepping into the leadership role (MacEwen’s full bio is available here).

As the 59th Adjutant General of the U.S. Army, MacEwen was responsible for the day-to-day operations of its Human Resources Command and the support of one million active and reserve soldiers and their families; during more than 33 years in uniform, he served tours of duty in multiple countries, commanded units at every echelon, and held key staff positions in the joint force.

With MacEwen’s deep experience, extensive relationships, and familiarity with the commission’s work, we are well-positioned to build on the accomplishments of the past three years and ensure our recommendations are not only shared with key stakeholders, but become embedded in policy and practice from coast to coast.

In support of that objective, our team remains engaged in conversations with leading veterans’ organizations and policymakers as we work toward what we hope will be a major Senate hearing that brings national attention to justice-involved veterans and our proposed improvements to military processes and the criminal justice system.

Additional financial support enables the commission to ensure the nation’s support for veterans extends beyond parades and holidays and includes evidence-based policies and practices that make a decisive difference in their lives.

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