A qualitative exploration of the experiences of veterans who are serving sentences in custody

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Unwin, M. and Winder, B. ORCID: 0000-0002-9118-679X, 2018. A qualitative exploration of the experiences of veterans who are serving sentences in custody. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. ISSN 0886-2605

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Official URL: http://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518762447

Abstract

The focus on veterans in research is not a novel topic; however, the majority of studies are related to trauma, employment, mental health, suicide, and substance misuse. The Criminal Justice System involvement with veterans is a topic that has yet to be examined to a great extent. This study, conducted with adult male prisoners, elicited information from six veterans regarding their experiences of being in the armed forces, leaving the armed forces and becoming involved in the Criminal Justice System. Responses were evaluated using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and three main themes were identified: “you’re baptised into the army”, ‘them and us,’ and ‘operational mind set’; each of which comprised a number of superordinate themes. The research highlights that, although it is important to acknowledge the heterogenic nature of this group, it is equally important to note that much of their thinking and behaviour may be similar to those that have not had these experiences. As such, there is a need to reduce the notion that they are separate and different to other prisoners, requiring different treatment. The study highlights that many of the Offending Behaviour Programmes and interventions already available to prisoners would be appropriate for this group. The current research supports the merit in creating a service in prisons that will allow for ex-servicemen to meet together and access the support that is available to them. The implications of the research are discussed further.

Item Type:

Journal article

Publication Title:

Journal of Interpersonal Violence

Creators:

Unwin, M. and Winder, B.

Publisher:

Sage

Date:

2 April 2018

ISSN:

0886-2605