ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Cellblocks for veterans are an increasingly common feature of state and county lockups as the criminal justice system focuses on helping troubled former service members.
Nationwide, there are 86 prisons and jails with designated veterans' housing, in systems from New York to Florida to California. The programs focus on a subset of inmates who are more likely to have reported having mental health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder.
Some lockups run their programs like boot camps, with formations and flag raisings. The "veteran pod" in Albany County, New York, avoids military trappings but gives them a sense of comradeship by housing men by the branch and decade in which they served.
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