Exploring the Life-Course of Veteran Offenders In the Criminal Justice System

• In Event: The Military, Religion, and the Life Course

Abstract

The relationship between military service and deviance has been well examined across numerous decades and various cohorts of veterans. As it stands, however, scholars and policy makers still lack a complete understanding of the day-to-day events and experiences that inspire deviance and other maladaptive outcomes among this population. This study aims to build upon existing scholarship by exploring the lives of a sample of veterans on probation. As part of a larger grant, pilot data were collected with an availability sample of military veterans living in the state of Illinois. Face-to-face interviews with these military veterans on probation explored how deviant behavior, substance use, relationship quality, violence, mental health/illness, military experience, and criminal involvement impacted their lives before and after military service. Results reveal how life-course transitions, including military service, impact this group’s behavior, potentially adding to our theoretical understanding of why some veterans enter the criminal justice system.

Author

• Phlip Mulvey, Illinois State University