Veteran Offenders Research Articles

Understanding the harms of criminalisation for “veteran offenders”

Understanding the harms of criminalisation for “veteran offenders”

Characteristics, institutional behaviour, and post-release outcomes of federal Veteran and non-Veteran men offenders

LAY SUMMARY Incarcerated Veterans represent 2.5% of the federal offender population and are a unique subset of the general Canadian Veteran population. This study provides the first in-depth examination of Veteran offenders in federal custody. During the study period, 374 federal offenders self-reported as Veterans. Federal Veteran offenders were older and more likely to have committed a violent offence and to have mental health concerns. Although they were more likely to report mental health concerns, Veteran offenders have more stable institutional behaviour and greater post-release success than non-Veterans. Understanding the unique characteristics and correctional experiences of federal Veteran offenders aids in identifying needs related to intervention and support to promote successful community reintegration after release. Future qualitative research should enhance knowledge of the lived experiences of Veterans involved in the federal criminal justice system in Canada.

Hero to zero? Navigating and negotiating the harms of criminalisation as a ‘veteran offender’

This article offers an original insight into the experiences of former military personnel navigating life after criminalisation in a time of austerity. Drawing on case studies of in-depth narrative and visual interview data with two ‘veteran offenders’, the article draws attention to a complex ‘dance of disclosure’ around military service and criminal records. The article demonstrates how the complexity of the pains of criminalisation can make (re-)finding a sense of purpose and self-worth difficult for former military personnel who must continually decide whether to disclose or obscure their military past, depending on the criminal punishment context. This critical analysis makes visible a potential continuum of state harm for those criminalised and managed as ‘veteran offenders’.

‘A veteran space’: A Military Integrated Nested Ecological Model to understand offending

In recent years there has been an increased focus on military veterans as a distinct population within the criminal justice system. The prevalence and nature of offending, alongside the mental health concerns of this group have dominated existing research, bringing us closer to an informed evidence base. Yet, it is widely acknowledged that more research and insight into the complexity of the lived experience of this population is required. In response, this article proposes a ‘Military Integrated Nested Ecological Model’ (MINEM) as a useful analytical tool for those working with, supporting or researching military veterans post-conviction. In order to better understand the veteran offender, one must first understand the individual, familial, societal, and cultural spaces which they have experienced. Such insight into the veteran’s life course, across these ‘ecological spaces’, offers a framework to plot the life journey of the veteran, articulating the various risk and need factors therein. Ultimately, such an approach culminates in the realisation of the ‘veteran space’, or a representation of the complex and unique lived experience of veterans within the criminal justice system. To accompany this, the article will use alcohol-related domestic abuse, specifically intimate partner violence, as a case study to highlight issues specific to this offence and this population.

Comorbid British veteran offenders: themes in judges’ sentencing remarks

ABSTRACT Despite evidence showing an association between dual diagnosis and increased risk of interpersonal violence and criminal justice system involvement, there is a dearth of information about how this plays out in sentencing offenders. This study examined themes in the sentencing of comorbid British war veteran offenders (PTSD/SUD) and described the judicial approach to sentencing this category of offenders. Judges’ sentencing remarks were extracted from Westlaw UK, a large subscription database containing legal materials from the United Kingdom and other jurisdictions. Using both the explicit and latent content of the sentencing remarks, the following issues were explored: judges’ orientations and aims when sentencing comorbid war veteran offenders, how they reconcile problems associated with sentencing mentally ill offenders who were also intoxicated at the time of the offence and how they balance competing interests of society’s responsibility to war veterans and the protection of society. Two major findings emerged. First, the cases fell in a two-way typology patterned by treatment motivation and engagement (high versus low) and the primary cause of the offending behaviour (PTSD versus SUD). Secondly, for the most part, judges considered an offender’s status as a war veteran and adopted a therapeutic and rehabilitative perspective at sentencing.

Participants Perceptions of Veterans Treatment Courts: A Qualitative Assessment and Systems Model

This qualitative study explores veteran treatment court (VTC) participant perceptions of the judicial processes within the court, their experiences with the judge and other court actors, and the relationship between their military service and criminal activity. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit a sample of 13 justice-involved veterans, who at the time of interviewing, were being adjudicated in a VTC located in the southeastern United States. Semi-structured interviewing was used to capture veteran perceptions of VTC. Five unique themes emerged, while perceptions of court actors and the connection between their military service and crime had three themes, respectively. From these themes, we developed a maladaptive coping model to illustrate the experiences of veterans in veteran courts. The study results are intended to inform policy makers, judicial actors, and veteran service providers as they design judicial responses for veteran offenders.

Veterans and violence: An exploration of pre-enlistment, military and post-service life

Despite growing criminological interest in the many ex-service personnel mired within the UK’s criminal justice system, there remains a paucity of qualitative research studies examining the (violent) veteran offender. In response, this paper mobilizes the voices of veterans to explore the key life events that can shape their offending behaviour. Countering reductionist explanations of violent crime committed by ex-service personnel, we contend that veterans’ violence may be rooted within personal biographies and psyches, conditioned by military experiences and represent the psychosocial consequences of the socioeconomic transformations of advanced capitalism.

Female Military Veterans: Crime and Psychosocial Problems

The Global War on Terror (GWOT) has changed the face of America's military service person. Traditionally, women have served in all capacities short of a direct combat role. The GWOT has taken a dramatic toll on our military men, women, and families. This descriptive sample examines 91 female veterans in U.S. correctional settings. Female veterans are examined as a unique subgroup of the general corrections population based upon veteran's status, gender, military experiences, and service-related injuries coupled by penal treatment needs, pre-release planning, and services. The findings suggest that solutions to female veteran offenders need to address multiple psychosocial problems and risk factors. Preventative measures, like outreach, promote pro-social behavior, reduce recidivism, increase service utilization, and enhance community reintegration.

Veteran offenders in Cheshire

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.

Toward an Integrated Theoretical Model of Risk Factors for Post-Deployment PTSD and its Implications for Justice-Involved Veterans

At present, very little knowledge exists about individual differences in susceptibility to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after combat trauma. Two differing perspectives have emerged. Some researchers maintain that a distinct linear dose-response relationship exists between the severity of combat trauma and the later development of PTSD. Conversely, others have questioned whether differential exposure to combat alone is sufficient to explain differences in the prevalence of post-deployment PTSD. This debate has implications for military veteran offenders who suffer from PTSD. In this paper, I propose a cumulative stress model that posits that it is the particular combination of psychosocial factors and combat exposure that interact to predict the likelihood of developing and maintaining PTSD after deployment. Therefore, PTSD influences post-deployment offending and antisocial behavior through this mechanism. Finally, this paper will discuss implications for criminal justice policy and practice.