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How Much Longer Can We Ignore It?
That there are large numbers of military veterans in our prisons is not in dispute - the exact number however is subject to fierce debate. The National Probation Officers Association NAPO) state on one hand that as many as 8,500 veterans are in prison, while the Ministry of Defence put the figure at closer to 3,000 - wherever the truth may lie, and it is probably somewhere in the middle, the fact remains that military veterans in prison represent the largest occupational group among offenders.

According to research published in September 2009 by the National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO) armed forces veterans now account for up to ten per cent of the prison population, as many as 8,500 former soldiers, sailors and airmen and women they claim are now in jail - in addition to this NAPO state as many as 12,500 other veterans are on parole or subject to probation supervision - meaning that in excess of 20,000 veterans are now under correctional services control. NAPO state that their offences are dominated by drug and alcohol misuse, they have a propensity to violence, particularly domestic violence, and many suffer from depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

On the other hand research published in January 2010 by Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA), part of the MOD, suggests that the figure is around three per cent of the prison population, or around 2,500 veterans in prison.

NAPO WEB SITE NAPO VETS REPORT: read more »

DASA WEB SITE DASA VETS REPORT: read more »

At VIPA we believe that whatever the truth in the numbers either set of figures produces a rate of offending so high among veterans that it can no longer be ignored - for the sake of victims and veterans alike, we have to do something to reduce it.

'ABOUT TURN' - THE ROAD TO REDUCING OFFENDING BY VETERANS

Reducing Reoffending by Veterans is at the heart of everything we do here at VIPA. The Military Covenant requires us to recognise that those who leave the armed forces have fought for the freedoms we enjoy - and we have a duty to help them readjust not only to civilian life but to cope with their battlefield experiences. At our last conference in October 2009 VIPA launched 'About Turn' - its policy document that calls for better discharge procedures from the Armed Forces for all military veterans, greater recognition by the Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Courts and those involved with Correctional Services about the factors that lead to veterans offending, and urges for diversions from custody where that is appropriate - VIPA is not about making excuses for veterans offending, every crime has a victim and those responsible must answer for their offending, but we do say that the experiences of armed conflict effect people in different ways and prosecuting, sentencing and correctional authorities should be alert to the damage such experiences can cause and react accordingly.