Ryan Harrington returned home from war a broken man.
A former Army Ranger, he served a combined 18 months in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, and lost his best friend in an attack.
Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Harrington, 26, couldn’t hold down any one of a series of eight jobs. Always on edge, he’d binge drink to get a good night’s sleep; otherwise, he’d be up for days. He fired three therapists after exploding in anger when they wanted him to talk about experiences he had locked deep inside.
A man who served and lived by the motto “Rangers lead the way,” Harrington had lost his way in civilian life.
“I thought I was invincible, and I can’t hold a (expletive) job,” said Harrington, who left the Army more than four years ago.
In April 2008, he hit his wife. A neighbor called police, and Harrington was arrested and charged with fourth-degree assault. She has since left him.
Thurston County Veterans Court offers a second chance to current and retired service members who commit crimes while struggling with war-related psychological wounds, notably PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. Buffalo, N.Y., started the first such court last year, and numerous communities have followed in its footsteps.
The aim is to identify and treat veterans before they get in deeper trouble with the law, increasing the public cost to prosecute and incarcerate them. Defendants are not eligible if they are charged with serious violent crimes or their victims oppose it.
Like other alternative courts, the defendants accept treatment and regular monitoring in lieu of jail time.
If they comply, they get kind words from a judge and support from court officers and others.
If they don’t, they land in jail, because the judge can revoke the suspended or reduced sentence they received when they pleaded guilty and joined the program.
Local veterans, including Harrington, have explored this option through Thurston County Mental Health Court. Others, court officers say, turned it down because they didn’t want to be associated with the stigma of mental illness.
Officials wanted to offer something to remove that stigma and provide an increasing number of services tailored to veterans to stabilize their lives, including counseling, drug and alcohol treatment and employment and housing assistance through public agencies and community-based organizations.
“We want veterans to know that they’re not alone, and that there’s no shame in seeking treatment,” said Marianne Clear, the court’s program manager.
Buffalo City Court Judge Robert Russell presides over the nation’s first veterans court, which began in January 2008. Today, between 120 and 130 defendants are enrolled and 15 have completed the treatment program. More than 90 percent have stayed out of trouble, he said.
“For us, not only do we want them clean, sober and healthy, but in addition we want them productive and contributing, which will help them not only with their self-esteem but the stability in their lives,” he said.
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