NCJ Number
55199
Journal
Corrections Magazine Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (MARCH 1979) Pages: 3-13
Date Published
1979
Length
11 pages
Annotation
THIS ARTICLE ON WAR VETERANS WHO ARE INMATES DISCUSSES LINKS BETWEEN WAR EXPERIENCE AND CRIMINALITY, BEHAVIOR OF THESE SPECIAL INMATES AND TREATMENT OF THEM, AND VETERANS' BENEFITS IN PRISON.
Abstract
NO RESEARCH ESTABLISHES A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN WAR EXPERIENCE AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, BUT DATA DOES INDICATE THAT A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF VIETNAM VETERANS ARE IN PRISON (NEARLY 58,000), AND INTERVIEWS WITH SOME VETERANS REVEAL THAT THEY FEEL THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP. CORRECTIONAL STAFF AGREE THAT VETERAN INMATES ARE DIFFERENT--THEY HAVE NO PREVIOUS CRIMINAL RECORD, ARE USUALLY CONVICTED OF VIOLENT CRIMES, AND BEHAVE BETTER INSIDE THE INSTITUTION THAN OTHER INMATES. INMATE VETERANS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR VETERAN BENEFITS WHILE IN PRISON, A FACT THAT MANY OF THESE OFFENDERS ARE NOT AWARE OF. VETERAN INMATES OFTEN COMPLAIN THAT CORRECTIONAL STAFF DELIBERATELY MISINFORM THEM THAT BENEFITS ARE NOT APPLICABLE WHILE THEY ARE IN PRISON. A REVIEW OF VETERANS ADMINISTRATION (V.A.) ACTIVITY IN PRISONS REVEALS THAT MOST PRISONS HAVE FEW OR NO PROGRAMS FOR VETERANS. THE PENNSYLVANIA VETERANS SERVICES HAS MADE THE GREATEST EFFORT TO REACH THESE VETERANS, HAS SURVEYED INMATES TO DETERMINE THE NUMBER ELIGIBLE FOR BENEFITS, AND HAS TAKEN STEPS TO UPGRADE CERTAIN PRISON EDUCATION PROGRAMS SO THAT THEY ARE ELIGIBLE FOR V.A. APPROVAL. THE LARGEST IMPEDIMENT TO PROVIDING VETERAN BENEFITS IS MONEY; CITIZENS DO NOT LIKE TO HEAR THAT OFFENDERS ARE RECEIVING FUNDS AND CORRECTIONAL STAFF COMPLAIN THAT MONEY IN THE HANDS OF INMATES CAUSES POWER PROBLEMS INSIDE PRISON SUBCULTURES. A NUMBER OF NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEGUN EFFORTS TO HELP THESE SPECIAL INMATES, BUT SOME VETERAN PRISONERS ARE ORGANIZING TO HELP THEMSELVES. AN EXAMPLE OF A VETERANS' ORGANIZATION IN PRISON IS THE AMERICAN VETERANS PRISON ORGANIZATION IN THE MAXIMUM-SECURITY PRISON AT WALPOLE, MASS. (DAG)