Butler County has taken a big step benefiting its veteran population with the start-up of the Veterans’ Treatment Court.

The court commendably acknowledges the possibility that some veterans’ problems with the law stem from their military service, and that those issues should be dealt with in a way that reflects that root cause, if it is indeed a factor.

For example, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been found to be a contributing cause of many veterans’ problems with the criminal justice system.

But the court also acknowledges that some vets’ entry into the world of crime is not service-related and should be dealt with accordingly.

Vets will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, as they should be.

Still, statistics provide a troubling picture.

Data from 2011 reported by the county probation office indicate the difficulties many veterans encounter, despite their honorable discharges and despite their initial intent of building upon their successful service to their country once they’ve returned to civilian life.

In this county last year, of the cases that the probation office reviewed, 42 percent of the veterans suffered from PTSD, 47 percent suffered from substance abuse issues and 62 percent had mental health issues.

Meanwhile, a statistic hard to fathom for many people who have deep respect for the sacrifices made by those who’ve served in the military is that 56 percent of veterans involved in the probation office’s 2011 case review had been homeless at least once.

That seems so out of character for a country that supposedly respects and honors its veterans.

An aim of the new Veterans’ Treatment Court is to acknowledge the discrepancy between honorable service and criminal behavior.

County Judge Timothy McCune, who will preside over the court, said of that out-of-character situation that he sometimes encounters veterans as defendants who “might not even understand why their life is spiraling downward . . . that they drink to drown out their PTSD or they react violently to situations that wouldn’t have bothered them prior to their service.”

Meanwhile, regarding questions as to why veterans don’t seek help prior to getting into trouble, considering the services offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, John Cyprian, director of Butler County Veterans Services, made a good observation. He said servicemen and women often don’t seek help for issues such as PTSD on their own due to pride.

“When it’s not a visible wound, sometimes it’s frowned upon by your peers,” he said.

So the problems fester and sometimes culminate in a brush with the law.

Commendably, local officials traveled to Buffalo, N.Y., to visit the original veterans’ court to gain insight as to how best to effect a start-up here.

Meanwhile, Butler County also can seek guidance from 12 other counties in Pennsylvania that operate such courts. Overall, there are about 100 other similar courts across the nation.

According to McCune, the local court for the first year plans to accept 15 to 20 veterans.

Meanwhile, McCune and Cyprian, as well as other officials, acknowledge that this court experience won’t be right for some of the participants and that McCune might have to impose sanctions on some individuals.

But the Veterans’ Treatment Court is a positive opportunity for ex-service personnel who have gotten on the wrong side of the law in large part because of what they experienced while on active duty.

From the perspective of Butler County, this program is a new commitment to veterans. It’s to be hoped that the veterans whom it seeks to serve avail themselves of the opportunity it presents.