Offending Characteristics of Male Ex-Armed Forces Personnel in Prison

Ex-armed forces represent the largest occupational subset of offenders in prison in England yet we know little about their offending behaviour. One-hundred-and-five veterans in prison were interviewed and their offending histories reviewed. Most were serving their first custodial sentence, predominantly for violent and sexual crimes and had previous convictions recorded: a number had offended before their service. High levels of alcohol misuse and pre-service adversity were found. There were significant differences between offence types: violent offenders were more likely than sexual or other offenders to have offended before service. Findings suggest that interventions should focus on violent behaviour and alcohol misuse.