PROBATION PROVIDES RESOURCES FOR VETERANS
AND RETURNING SOLDIERS SUFFERING WITH
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)

The Massachusetts Probation Service has created a new informational resource to help probation officers address the needs of court-involved veterans and soldiers returning from combat, many of whom suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Approximately one out of five soldiers returning from recent active duty in Iraq exhibit symptoms of PTSD and significant readjustment issues which warrant treatment, according to a recent study cited in the July issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, conducted by Army Col. Charles W. Hoge, chief of Psychiatry and Behavior at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, also reveals that 11. 5 percent of soldiers returning from Afghanistan suffer with PTSD symptoms.

Probation Departments throughout the state have a comprehensive resource packet for probation officers who use this information to help offenders suffering with PTSD. The packet includes a list of Veteran’s Service Agents and Veteran Service facilities such as hospitals and clinics as well as private facilities where counseling is offered. The packet also includes a number of clinical explanations, including a description of PTSD symptoms: how they occur and are treated. There is also information on the effect of PTSD on the offender’s family. A copy of a DVD, made available by the District Attorney Bill Keating on the issue of Post Traumatic Stress, is part of the packet.

“Probation Officers are the first to address the needs of court-involved individuals who are suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is important that we are knowledgeable about this issue and can help those who are afflicted with PTSD,” said Steve Fratalia, Director of Resource Management in the Field Services Division of the Office of the Commissioner of Probation.

The Office of the Commissioner of Probation conducted a training session for Probation Officers on the topic of PTSD called “Understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.” The session held this fall featured panelists Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating, Boston Veteran’s Center Team Leader Thomas Hannon, Norwood Veteran’s Service Officer Ted Mulvehill, and Massachusetts Chief Probation Officer Dan Ryan. The training will be repeated for Probation Officers in Spring 2006.

“Through this informational resource, we are able to partner with the Veteran’s Administration to assist the courts and veteran defendants as they navigate the Trial Court process,” Fratalia said.