Incarcerated Veteran

Running Head: INCARCERATED VETERANS 1

Incarcerated Veterans with Mental Health Disorders

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INCARCERATED VETERANS 2

Abstract

One of the challenges that face those returning from the military is the detriment of their

mental health. Some of the leading mental health problems which are associated with the mental

health problems amongst the veterans include The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and

the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) (Friedman, 2005). Some researches indicate that there is a high

correlation of PSTD and the TBI and the criminal’s behavior (DeMatteo et al., 2013). The

Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) released research in December 2015 that indicated that

even though there has been a slight decline in the number of the veterans in the federal and the

state prisons, approximately half of the veterans have been diagnosed with some nature of mental

disorders (US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2015). Therefore, the lives of veterans in jail who

suffers from some form of mental illnesses are given attention in this paper. The paper also

focuses on the actions that leads to the veterans into the criminal activities.

Introduction

The prisoners’ share of the veterans was absolutely high in the 1970s and were at 24%

just after the war in Vietnam (Brown, 2011). However, since that time, the share of the veteran

prisoners has dropped with the time and as at now the veteran prisoner’s population stands at

approximately 8% (US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2015). More than 60 percent of those

veterans were tested and proven to need treatment were in the combat. Also, more than half of

the veterans who are serving time imprisonment have a history of having been arrested more

than three times in the past, and many of such arrests were as a result of violence (Erickson et al.,

2008). The BJS studies have shown that more than 50% of the prisoners in incarceration suffer

from mental disorders (US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2015). This is considered to be a

serious problem by the law enforcement officials who serves in most of the county jails. The

INCARCERATED VETERANS 3

study adds that most of the incarcerated veterans, above 60% in the jails within recent years had

been made to know their mental challenges while in the military. It is clear that the military, as

well as the government agencies, have ways of quantifying and identifying the problem.

The Veterans and the Mental Health Issues

The mental health of the veteran population has gained a lot of interest due to the much

high psychological stressors as well as the extreme experience with various physical combats

(Cavanaugh, 2010). Most of the veterans who return from the wars have been diagnosed with

some form of mental health disorders. Approximately 17% of the veterans from Iraq were

diagnosed with severe mental disorders (Friedman, 2005). Another study confirmed that about

17-28% of the brigade teams demonstrated severe symptoms of the PTSD (Cavanaugh, 2010).

As per the BJS, before the incarcerations of the veterans, 24% are known to suffer from some

mental illness. More also, the U.S Department of the veteran affairs pointed out that an

approximate 30 to 40% of the veterans in Iraq might end up suffering physiological challenges

which are associated with the PTSD (US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2015).

As so many of the veterans are suffering from the mental health-related challenges, it is

usually very common for them doing self-medication by the use of some drugs and also alcohol.

The BJS made reports that an estimated 81% of the veterans had drug use challenges before the

incarceration (US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2015). More than half of the incarcerated

veterans showed symptoms of having problematic experiences of alcohol. Among them,

approximately 7% suffered extreme indulgence in alcohol (DeMatteo et al., 2013). As per the

data that was analyzed by DeMatteo et al., (2013), the usage of opiate and cocaine was shown to

be twice to the veterans as compared with the non-veterans. Therefore, drawing form this

INCARCERATED VETERANS 4

research, it can be argued that the symptoms of PTSD have more likelihood of preceding the

drug and alcohol indulgence associated problems.

According to Brown (2011), there were characteristics of alcohol use amongst the men

who had returned from the military. Amongst the men, 71% had signs of PSTD. Among the 71%

approximately 47% had indications that they had experiences of some suicidal tendencies as per

the symptoms. Other factors that lead to veterans suffered from mental disorders and then

confronted criminal justice includes domestic violence, child abuses as well as divorce. Such

problems might be triggered by the results of mental health issues (Brown (2011).

The Veteran’s Mental Health In the Past

The Mental Health Disorders amongst the incarcerated veterans has been in existence for

a considerable period. However, the PTSD was not identified as a psychiatric disorder until 1980

when some Greek writings give some descriptions that matched with the syndrome (Friedman,

2005). Some evidence has therefore shown that the mental disorders have been in existence since

the civil war. In the period of the American civil war, the mental disorder which was similar to

the PTSD was referred to as nostalgia (Friedman, 2005). As per Friedman (2005), During World

War I, around 2600 soldiers were reported to suffer from insanity while 5200 had nostalgia.

As with the war in Vietnam, there were thousands of veterans who were diagnosed with

the PTSD. Some other veterans were battling the symptoms of the PTSD, and they never had any

formal diagnosis of the ailments (Friedman, 2005). The war of Vietnam is actually the war that

led to the concept of the PTSD. However, the actual number of veterans from Vietnam who

suffered from related mental disorders was unknown (Brown, 2011). More also, veterans with

INCARCERATED VETERANS 5

lifetime PTSD showed high levels of drug abuse and alcohol dependence. These episodes

explain the history of the mental disorders amongst the veterans.

The Linkage between the Veterans’ Mental Health Related Issues and the Criminal

Behavior

The main reason for the incarceration of veterans with mental disorders is the

involvement in criminal cases. There are many linkages between the veterans medical health

related issues and criminality. For instance, aggression and anger are a common manifestation in

the military and traumas with relation to the combat (Neubauer et al, 2019). A study comparing

the veterans who either suffer from PTSD or those who do not suffer suggested that around 75%

of the veterans suffering from the PTSD had a history of having engaged in some aggressive

behaviors in the past (Erickson et al., 2008). On the other hand, such forms of physical

aggression only seemed amongst 17% of the veterans who did not suffer from PTSD (Erickson

et al., 2008).

An interview carried out amongst the inmates, and the arrestees showed that most of the

veteran arrestees, as well as the inmates, had dealt with combat-related issues and demonstrated

some form of physical injury, indulgence in the alcohol use as well as some other mental related

problems (Neubauer et al, 2019). The soldiers who return to home after war face a lot of

difficulty in the process of readjusting their life. This leads themselves to face some emotional

slew. Noting that they are actually trained in violence, they may take it that violence is the most

necessary method of survival (Neubauer et al, 2019). Therefore, after returning home, they do

not put aside their capabilities a fact that finds themselves against the law after trying to end

differences in a violent manner.

INCARCERATED VETERANS 6

More also, veterans with mental disorders find themselves indulging in drugs as a way of

self-medicine. When they are caught, it can lead to their conviction and hence face some

criminal charges (Neubauer et al, 2019). Other forms in which the veterans with mental health

disorders end in the jail include some of the activities such as getting arrested while selling drugs

like cannabis and also affiliating with violence associated with some criminal activities (Erickson

et al., 2008). More also, some studies assert that combat veterans are very much vulnerable to

violent behaviors, hence finding themselves having been involved in illegal activity (US

Department of Veterans Affairs, 2015). The crimination of those with some mental disorders is

known to lead to the incarceration. It makes the incarceration their most primary housing, and

these people also include the veterans suffering from such disorders.

The veteran courts emergent to give some attention to the unique needs of the veterans

that need to be addressed by criminal justice (Neubauer et al, 2019). The missions of the veteran

courts were to rehabilitate the veterans by making a diversion of them form the traditional nature

of the criminal justice to the provision of better ways and tools that would lead to the more

productive lifestyle characterized with law abiding.

The veteran courts have recorded some success. For example, the recidivism rates

amongst the veteran have been reduced over some time (Neubauer et al, 2019). More also, a case

of the Buffalo veteran court in 2008 indicate that it had dispatched some of the incarcerated

veterans with a drug-free mentality and having received the treatment for the mental disorders

(Erickson et al., 2008).

The veteran courts are helping very much in doing better in rehabilitating the veterans

with mental disorders who are in jail. The courts are in support of the idea that the veterans

should be returning to their people after their fights and not in going to the jails (Neubauer et al,

INCARCERATED VETERANS 7

2019). Due to the link between the diagnosis of mental health and the criminality of the veterans,

the establishment of the veteran courts becomes a significant action in the judicial system.

Therefore, due to the increase in the population of the veterans, the establishment of the veteran

courts should also increase. This is in the aim of rehabilitating of the veterans instead of keeping

them under incarcerations for such long times.

Conclusion

More than half of the veterans involved in the criminal activities has mental health-

related problems such as PTSD, substance abuse disorders, or even depression and anxiety

(Neubauer et al, 2019). Also, large percentages of the veterans are considered to be homeless or

are risking to go homeless. In addition, many of the other veterans suffer challenges such as lack

of work and problems or reintegrating into society (Neubauer et al, 2019). Such veterans, when

they collide with criminal justice, they may end up with suicidal thoughts. Harboring such

thoughts poses a challenge for the criminal justice system to find a way of overcoming it. It is the

reason for some veterans to find themselves serving incarceration in jail (US Department of

Veterans Affairs. 2015). Of late, the veteran courts have been introduced to help deal with such

challenges through a process of rehabilitation. It can, therefore, be argued that support for the

increment of the veteran courts can help in the reduction of the veterans with mental disorders in

incarceration. Rehabilitation also offers a chance to free the jails.

INCARCERATED VETERANS 8

References

Neubauer, D. W., & Fradella, H. F. (2019). America's courts and the criminal justice system

(13th ed). Cengage Learning.

US Department of Veterans Affairs. (2015). National center for veterans analysis and statistics.

Veteran’s Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) Participants: 2013

American Community Survey.

Erickson, S. K., Rosenheck, R. A., Trestman, R. L., Ford, J. D., & Desai, R. A. (2008). Risk of

incarceration between cohorts of veterans with and without mental illness discharged

from inpatient units. Psychiatric Services, 59(2), 178-183.

Friedman, M. J. (2005). Veterans' mental health in the wake of war. New England Journal of

Medicine, 352(13), 1287-1290.

DeMatteo, D., LaDuke, C., Locklair, B. R., & Heilbrun, K. (2013). Community-based

alternatives for justice-involved individuals with severe mental illness: Diversion,

problem-solving courts, and reentry. Journal of Criminal Justice, 41(2), 64-71.

Cavanaugh, J. M. (2010). Helping those who serve: Veterans treatment courts foster

rehabilitation and reduce recidivism for offending combat veterans. New Eng. L. Rev., 45,

463.

Brown, W. B. (2011). From war zones to jail: Veteran reintegration problems. Justice Policy

Journal, 8(1), 1-48.

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