Literature Review: UK Veterans and the Criminal Justice System

Executive Summary: In comparison to the United States (US) there has been a lack of reliable research on the subject of the United Kingdom’s (UK) veterans and the criminal justice system. However, Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) have recently provided some useful evidence and there is a promising study, from Kings Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR), in the pipeline. Despite this, our understanding of this subject matter is quite poor and there is a need to explore veterans’ pathways to offending. This might be best achieved through a qualitative study of the experiences of veterans in UK prisons. There is some debate about the presence of veterans in the prisons of England and Wales but the most reliable evidence suggests there are 2,820 individuals making up 3.5% of the total prison population. Using these figures, veterans are 30% less likely to be in prison in England and Wales than non-veterans. Comparatively, veterans in the US are also less likely to be in prison than non-veterans. Veterans in English and Welsh prisons are sentenced for a wide range of offences but the most common are violence against the person, sexual offences and drugs. This is broadly similar to the situation in the US. UK veterans are less likely to be in prison than non-veterans for all offence types except for sexual offences. There is little evidence to support the common assumption that experience of conflict increases the likelihood of violent behaviour post-Service, although there is some proof that it leads to increased levels of risk taking behaviour.