For Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens, helping veterans housed in his jail is more than an official duty.
“For 30-plus years, serving this country and knowing what the men and women put on the line every day for this country, it just means so much to me to be able to give them some support,” said Owens, who served a combined 36 years in the U.S. Army and later the U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard. “It’s the right thing for me to do.”
The sheriff’s office launched “Operation Holiday Honor” this month, aimed at providing resources for incarcerated veterans to prepare them for success upon release.
Among the resources being offered through community partners are three months of paid rent upon release through the Get to Work Foundation, a national nonprofit that helps homeless veterans find jobs; a backpack full of clothes, food and other items through the sheriff’s office; and mentorship and other resources through the Cobb County Veterans Accountability and Treatment Court and The Warrior Alliance, a Georgia nonprofit that helps military veterans and their families.
According to the Council on Criminal Justice, research suggests that those who recently served in the military are twice as likely as nonveterans to face incarceration, while veterans from previous eras were half as likely as nonveterans to be incarcerated. Owens didn’t rule out, if the program proves to be successful, assisting nonveteran detainees in similar ways as they transition from jail to civilian life.
A variety of factors before, during and after military service contribute to veteran incarceration, such as living conditions before enlisting, combat exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, readjustment to civilian life, health care issues and homelessness, according to the CCJ.
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Owens, who left the Army Reserve in 2020 as a command sergeant major, said he has seen a lot of veterans struggle when they leave the military.
“I feel that everyone or anyone that’s going to give their life for their country and serve their country should always have some support when they return home,” he said. “It’s kind of disheartening to see those men and women get in these bad situations because some of them, they need help. Not only from financial help; they need mental health care.”
The sheriff’s office partnered last year with the veterans court to create a dorm designated for veterans within the jail’s so-called compliance dorm. Inmates can request placement in the compliance room if they meet behavioral requirements within their first 30 days. The compliance dorm gives detainees access to workforce development programs, counseling and mental health services and allows veterans to be with fellow veterans.
The idea for the program was brought up to Owens by Deputy Nedra Handia, who saw Owens speaking at an event about veterans. Veterans who get arrested should identify themselves as such during the booking process, Handia said, and officials will check to confirm veteran status.
One of the mentor programs offered to veterans in Cobb County is through the veterans court, where Vietnam veteran Dan Hydrick has helped veterans for more than a decade. He said it’s rewarding to help veterans get back on track after they may have lost their way due to drugs, alcohol and crime. He said he plans to mentor for the rest of his life.
“‘We got their 6,’ is what people understand,” he said, referring to a term used by military personnel for watching someone’s back, “But you don’t understand the 3 and the 9 coming from the flanks. All we ask them is take the 12 and go straight ahead. We got it.”
Hydrick applauded Owens and the sheriff’s office for taking initiative in helping veterans held at the jail.
Other agencies have also launched programs in the past couple of years to help veterans, including Gwinnett County, which opened a housing unit just for veterans in 2019 and a Veteran and Family Services Center in Lawrenceville in 2023 to provide health and social services to veterans and their families. The Cobb County Police Department signed a partnership agreement with the U.S. Army last year to provide employment opportunities for soldiers and veterans.
In Columbus, the get to work Sheriff’s Office established a jail dormitory offering mental health counseling to veterans in 2012.
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Owens encouraged sheriffs nationwide to reach out to his office for advice on how they can help the veterans housed in their jails.
“Give these veterans a chance to show you their skill set,” Owens said. “Most veterans have the discipline; they have integrity.”
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