Cape and Islands DA Rob Galibois
HYANNIS – A new court specifically for veterans is in the works, but a few obstacles lie ahead for the initiative, according to Cape and Islands District Attorney Rob Galibois.
During a meeting with the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates recently, Galibois said they have found a judge interested in the program, but they must first collect data on community need.
“They’re trying to identify how many cases we have across the Cape with veterans. There might be an underrepresentation in the court system of how many veterans are actually in the system so to speak,” said Galibois.
He added that he hopes to see a veterans court next year.
Data acquisition efforts have also been expanded in general across the office’s operations, particularly tracking gender and ethnicity of those prosecuted, according to Galibois.
He also added that the specialty mental health court for the region has seen big strides.
“And from what I’m seeing, it appears it might even be open by the end of this summer. We have a judge apparently assigned to the session, I know probation officers are going through training, and I’ve been asked who my mental health core prosecutor is going to be,” said Galibois.
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