Veteran offenders in Cheshire

Abstract

This article emerges out of a three year research project with Cheshire Probation Trust on their Veteran Support Officer (VSO) initiative. At a time when the offending of veterans is a subject of national concern with vast political and social interest this article is the timely provider of a series of questions and debates about how those concerns (the noise) are translating into probation practice. Although this is a national concern, to date there is no national strategy to guide practitioners. Instead a series of ad hoc grassroots initiatives have emerged in response that vary greatly across probation areas. The findings suggest that Cheshire’s pioneering model has been instrumental in raising awareness of veteran offending both regionally and nationally but more needs to be done to fully understand the needs of this unique offending population. The aim is not one of resolving problems at this stage but to encourage a series of questions and debates about how veteran offenders are managed in the community using the experience of Cheshire Probation Trust’s journey to date to create discussions and encourage debates that are relevant to all probation areas.