Those seeking to keep military veterans out of jails and prisons are shining a spotlight on a new Nebraska law that makes judicial diversion available to veterans statewide. The law makes Nebraska the first in the nation to adopt a model recommended by the Veterans Justice Commission. Now, commission leaders say at least a dozen other states are looking to follow Nebraska's lead. The commission is co-chaired by a former U.S. senator from Nebraska and one-time Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel. He says the commission estimates that nearly 200,000 military veterans are in prisons and jails across the country.
Hagel Puts Face On Advocacy For Imprisoned Vets
![Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e943c94/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1872x2460+0+0/resize/880x1156!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2015%2F01%2F23%2Fhagel-edit-01_custom-0fc874639abf9a616ca967e0d327330a22ceffa9.jpg)
Ariel Zambelich
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NPR