Fairfield County Municipal Judge James Fields now presides over three specialized dockets after a veterans treatment court was certified by the Ohio Supreme Court.

Fairfield County Municipal Judge James Fields now presides over three specialized dockets after a veterans treatment court was certified by the Ohio Supreme Court.

A judge who built a niche defending people with mental health issues as a private attorney used his experience to create a specialized docket dedicated to address those ongoing concerns for veterans.

Fairfield County Municipal Judge James Fields recently presided over Patriot Court, a veterans treatment rehabilitation program certified by the Ohio Supreme Court.

“Part of the beauty of specialty dockets is that every week can be different. You can be creative and open to new suggestions,” Judge Fields said.

With a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic in the city and a VA medical center roughly 40 miles away in Chillicothe, a specialty court seemed like a good way provide help and resources to ex-military personnel who end up in the judicial system.

When he was in private law practice, Judge Fields connected the mentally challenged and developmentally delayed with community service agencies.

“If the court needed help for someone with a mental health issue, I knew who to call or where the money was. It’s amazing how many steps you have to go through to get to the ‘big step,’” Judge Fields said.

During a meeting in Lancaster a few years ago, Justice Sharon Kennedy proposed a veterans docket to Judge Fields. It’s now his third specialized docket.

He inherited a drug court and mental health court when he was appointed in 2015. Judge Fields also established a diversion program that helps those with developmental disabilities who become entangled in the legal system.

In need of guidance on how to structure his veterans treatment court, he attended a national conference on specialty dockets in Washington and shadowed Delaware Municipal Judge Marianne Hemmeter and her Mission Court.

“I feel like I have a handle on how to interact with people. But having never served, I was concerned I didn’t really know how to speak to veterans,” Judge Fields said.

Funded by state and federal grants, the four-phase program has a capacity of 14 participants supported by court staff, treatment providers who manage mental health and substance use issues, and other community partners to address essential needs, such as housing.

Many people who end up in his program, and the criminal justice system, are victims of situations that are sometimes beyond their control. Experiencing major setbacks throughout his childhood, Judge Fields recognizes how easily his life could have taken a wrong turn, which is why he and the treatment teams do all they can to aid participants in their rehabilitation.

“I came from a poor family. My father passed away when I was 12. Mother worked to get me through school. A few bounces of the ball, and that could be me” on the other side of the bench, he said.