New courts to help soldiers, new vets

Soldiers who leave for combat duty as law-abiding citizens sometimes don't return the same people - a fact officials in the legal system have begun to recognize. Melissa Evans in the Daily News.

Mirroring efforts across the country, Los Angeles County is launching a pilot program today that establishes a special court for veterans who have committed nonviolent felonies as a result of the emotional toll of their military service.

"These men and women come back from long deployments with personal and emotional experiences that are unique," said John Lonergan, a Torrance deputy district attorney and colonel in the Army Reserves who has advised the project. "We want to make sure they get appropriate treatment."