Veteran Alfred Hallowell.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Caption: VETERAN ALFRED HALLOWELL volunteered his barber services at the Ninth Circuit Public Defender's First Annual Osceola Veterans Stand Down. Orange/Osceola Public Defender Robert Wesley said he noted an increase in the number of homeless or impoverished veterans among his office's clientele and knew many returning service members were being hit with the double whammy of joblessness and physical, as well as mental, health challenges. In keeping with his goal of lowering recidivism, Wesley's office, with the help of 70 volunteers, connected nearly 150 veterans with social, health, and employment services. "Nearly 20 percent of returning veterans suffer from traumatic head injury or post traumatic stress disorder, which often results in behaviors that land them in trouble," Wesley said. "Connecting these veterans to the services they need lowers the chance of them landing in jail. More...