NCJ Number
229866
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 34 Issue: 4 Dated: Winter 2009 Pages: 9-12
Date Published
2009
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article provides an overview of veterans in the criminal justice system.
Abstract
Veterans constitute a small segment of the correctional population, with the number of those who have served in the military and become involved in the criminal justice system even smaller. It is assumed that incarcerated veterans are likely to be the victims or casualties of war. However, most veterans in State (54 percent) and Federal (64 percent) prisons did not serve during a wartime period. Veterans in prisons are less likely to report recent drug use than nonveterans. Veterans are most likely to report a mental health problem. It has also been revealed that veterans had shorter criminal records than nonveterans in State prison with more than half (57 percent) of veterans in State prison serving time for a violent offense. Veterans were also more likely to be first-time offenders, to be older, to have committed a violent offense, and to be sentences and expecting to serve longer time than their nonveteran peers. In summation, successful reentry is the goal of corrections. Availability and access to social services may be critical to achieving positive outcomes. It behooves those in the criminal justice system to ask whether an offender is a veteran, and provide them with information on the services available to them. Notes and references