Are Inmates With Military Backgrounds “Army Strong?”

Abstract

We use data from the Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities 2004 to examine the relationship between prior military service and misbehavior for a nationally representative sample of incarcerated inmates. Our regression analyses, based on 18,185 respondents across 326 prisons, suggest that inmates with military backgrounds tend to fare better than others across 12 negative prison outcomes. In contrast, we do not find much support for the argument—implied by violentization and other theories—that inmates with military backgrounds fare worse than others, with the exception of high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and violent victimization. Supplementary analyses also show conditional patterns based on exposure to combat as well as honorable versus dishonorable discharge.

When Military Uniforms Change into Prison Uniforms: Military Prison Incarceration Among Ethiopian Soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces

“…These results are in contrast to previous studies that showed non-veterans were at greater risk for incarceration than veterans (Greenberg et al, 2007), that veterans had 15% lower odds of resisting police officers during an arrest (Morgan et al, 2021), and had significantly less verbal misconduct or physical assault toward staff or other correctional clients (Logan & Pare, 2017). In an attempt to explain those findings, Brooke (2020) points out that military experience affects prison misconduct among those who joined the military at an older age and served for longer.…”

“…Imprisonment is considered a highly stressful environment for justice-involved persons, with many reporting mental health problems and/or difficulties coping with incarceration (Auty et al, 2017; Goomany & Dickinson, 2015; Harner & Riley, 2013). Research on institutional adaptation to prison has focused on characteristics concerning the individual (Logan & Pare, 2017) and the environment associated with imprisonment’s psychological impact (Trulson et al, 2011). Sykes (1958) described the deprivation created by the act of incarceration, which he named “pains of imprisonment,” as damaging essential aspects of the individual’s daily life before incarceration, such as liberty, property, sexual relationships, and security.…”

Hazardous Duty: Investigating Resistance to Police at the Point of Arrest Among Incarcerated Military Veterans

“…Since Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), research on the link between military veteran status and criminal justice system involvement has increased considerably. Informed by several academic disciplines and diverse methodologies, this research has considered a litany of criminal justice outcomes, including police contact (Camins et al, 2021), the likelihood of arrest and subsequent incarceration (Brooke & Gau, 2018; Brooke & Peck, 2019; Greenberg & Rosenheck, 2009, 2012; White et al, 2012), institutional adjustment or misconduct (Brooke, 2020; Drapela et al, 2019; Logan & Pare, 2017; May et al, 2017; Morgan et al, 2019; Stacers & Solinas-Saunders, 2015), and recidivism (Blonigen et al, 2016; Cavanaugh, 2011; Hartley & Baldwin, 2019; Logan et al, 2021a; Timko et al, 2014). Despite the breadth of knowledge regarding justice-involved veterans, scholars have yet to examine an important aspect of the criminal justice process: deference to authority during arrest.…”

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

“…6,8,12 Limited research available from the United States concerning the institutional adjustment of incarcerated Veterans in correctional facilities demonstrates that Veteran offenders are less likely to engage in inci-dents, such as verbal abuse of inmates and staff, physical assault, and drug-or alcohol-related incidents, than non-Veteran offenders. 14 Veteran offenders have complex needs that are affected by a variety of factors, such as homelessness and trauma exposure, and little is known about this population in Canada. As a result, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and VAC established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2012.…”