“They Teach You How to Weather the Storm, but They Don't Teach You How to Dance in the Rain:” Veterans' Perspectives on the Causes and Contributors to Their Criminal Justice Involvement

Purpose: It is unclear how many military veterans are currently in the criminal justice system. The most recent national survey found nearly 140,000 veterans in prison in 2004. Veterans face elevated risks of homelessness and poverty. Criminal convictions add to the challenge of finding employment and securing benefits, which further heightens susceptibility to poor outcomes. Once involved in the criminal justice system, evidence suggests that veterans with mental illnesses face exacerbation of symptoms and heightened risk of suicide.

Researchers have explored the factors associated with criminal offending among veterans, but results are mixed and inconclusive. Some studies suggest military experience is related to criminal justice involvement, while others find that individual-level characteristics, such as antisocial personality disorder, are more closely tied with arrest. Although it remains unclear what factors dispose some veterans to offend, evidence shows that veterans face elevated risk of mental illness and substance use and experience difficulty adjusting post-deployment, which puts them at higher risk of arrest. In order to create and evaluate interventions to prevent offending, reduce recidivism, and promote successful community reentry, it is important to understand the reasons veterans come into contact with the criminal justice system. The aim of this study is to explore, from veterans’ perspectives, the contributors to their criminal justice involvement.

Methods: In order to develop an understanding of why veterans enter the criminal justice system, we sampled 28 adults who served in the United States Armed Forces and are on probation or parole for felony offenses. Participants met face-to-face with researchers, who conducted in-depth interviews regarding military service, mental health, and the events surrounding their arrests. We utilized Schatzman’s grounded dimensional analysis to identify relationships between contexts and emergent themes.

Results:  Study participants represent a heterogeneous group of veterans with varying time in service, exposure to combat, discharge status, eligibility for benefits, and criminal justice involvement. Most participants are White (68%) men (93%). About a third (36%) report being involved in combat. On average, participants had 4.4 lifetime arrests and most had spent time in jail or prison (88%).

We found that drug and alcohol use is a significant contributor to arrests and that use was a way for some veterans to cope to with: (1) trauma during and after the military; (2) interpersonal stress; and (3) their transition from military service member to civilian. Some of their substance use was evident, and problematic, prior to military service, while others found the military culture and conditions post-service to contribute to problematic use. Veterans also entered the criminal justice system through difficulty adjusting to civilian life (e.g., changing mindset) and social disadvantage (e.g., financial instability).   

Implications: The results from this study build the foundation for understanding why veterans enter the criminal justice system. Results are being used to develop and compile measures of the salient constructs identified in this study. Those measures will be used to test hypotheses regarding the causes of arrest among military veterans by sampling a larger group of veterans and non-veterans in the criminal justice system.