Since leaving the Army in 1996, John Smith has led a troubled life marked by stints in jail.

Smith, 55, who moved into a new veterans-only housing unit at the Jefferson County Detention Facility on Nov. 6, is hoping that the time he spends surrounded by fellow vets will help him break the cycle of incarceration.

“We have all been disciplined at one time in our lives, and I think it will be good to regain that discipline by being around other vets who support each other,” Smith said.

Smith, who served in the military for 16 years, declined to discuss the incidents that led to his jail time.

He is one of 32 vets who will live together in the housing unit, which officially opened Friday. The arrangement will give them quicker access to training and classes provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and make it easier to get information about housing, health care and other services they will need when they get out.

In a telephone interview, Smith ticked off a list of scheduled VA classes, including anger management, successful community re-entry, yoga and conflict resolution.

The Jeffco jail is the second county lock-up in the state to house veterans in a single unit. The arrangement makes it easier for them to receive services and training aimed at preventing a return to jail.

The El Paso County Criminal Justice Center began a similar program for veterans in January 2013, said Janet King, programs manager for the jail. That unit, which is home to 71 prisoners, is the only place in the jail where computers are available within a housing unit.

Similar veteran-housing programs are operating at jails in Middlesex County, Mass., Pinal County, Ariz., and other states.

“We have a constant churn of veterans coming in and out of our facility,” said Rob Reardon, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office detention chief.

Prisoners with behavioral problems can’t be housed in the unit regardless of their veteran status. Some of those behind bars have combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and other service-related problems. Others struggle with substance abuse and other conditions.

The VA has a wide variety of programs that help vets overcome their difficulties. Other organizations are also expected to offer services, Reardon said.

“Once you roll these things out, volunteers come in and want to provide service,” he said.

The VA already provides services for those incarcerated at the jail, Reardon said. If most vets are housed together, it is more efficient to provide coordinated anger-management classes and other classes and programs, Reardon said.

“We can address what is going on with the individuals and try to develop a program for them as a group,” he said.

Those living in the unit have their military service in common and become a “self-regulating body,” with vets providing information and help to one another, said Nathan Viton, veterans justice outreach coordinator for the VA in Denver.

“It means if I can go into a pod and 10 guys want to meet with me, I can sit down with one after another and then they can pass the word to others,” Viton said. “This is a fantastic way to catch veterans and connect them with care they need.”

The jail will see no additional cost, Reardon said. “The supervision is the same, and the VA is providing programs they are already doing that will now be centralized in the unit.”

While most veterans are aware of the VA, many do not know about the wide range of services available to them, said Smith, who has been in the jail for the past month. His release date is a few weeks away, he said.

“A lot of guys, including myself suffer from mental health issues such as PTSD, and it is ruining our lives,” Smith said. “I’m hoping this will turn my life around.”