Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Justice Involved Veterans Support Act.
Section 2. Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1) Approximately 181,000 veterans are incarcerated in the United States.
(2) More than half of all veterans involved in the criminal justice system suffer from a mental health condition or substance abuse disorder.
(3) Such veterans may be at a greater risk for suicide.
(4) Veterans released from incarceration have specialized needs and face different issues relating to reentry into society.
(a) Establishment
The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall carry out a pilot program to provide grants and technical assistance to State prisons and local jails to improve documentation of whether inmates of such institutions are veterans.
(b) Purpose
The purposes of the pilot program are the following:
(1) To assist the Secretary in providing benefits to incarcerated veterans under laws administered by the Secretary.
(2) To assist veterans affairs offices of States in providing benefits to incarcerated veterans under laws administered by such offices.
(3) To increase the number of veterans involved in the criminal justice system whose cases are diverted to veterans treatment courts.
(c) Priority
In selecting grant recipients under the pilot program, the Attorney General shall give priority to State prisons and local jails located in—
(1) States that contain the greatest populations of veterans per capita;
(2) States with the highest rates of veterans living in poverty; and
(3) jurisdictions that contain a veterans treatment court or veterans diversion program.
(d) Definitions
In this section, the terms veterans treatment court and veterans diversion program mean a State or local court that is participating in the veterans treatment court program (as defined in section 2991(i)(1) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968; 34 U.S.C. 10651(i)(1)).