British troops in Helmand Province in 2009. Shocking figures show nearly one in 10 prisoners in England are veterans
It is not clear how many – if any – of the ex-soldiers behind bars are non-combat veterans:
The Government was under fire for failing to support British troops returning from war today after figures revealed nearly one in 10 prisoners is an Armed Forces veteran.
Shocking research by the probation officers’ union Napo shows some 8,500 former soldiers are currently in prison in England and Wales.
Another 12,000 have criminal convictions and are on the books of the Probation Service.
This means there are more than twice as many veterans in jail, on probation or on parole in the UK than the number of troops currently serving in Afghanistan.
Veterans in Scotland and Northern Ireland are not included, meaning the true figure is likely to be much higher. . . .
Domestic violence was by far the most likely conviction for a veteran, accounting for one in three cases. Other violent crimes accounted for around one in five convictions.
One in four said they had post-traumatic stress disorder, but many went undiagnosed. Others cited depression and behavioural problems.
The group who took part included veterans from the conflicts in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Read more here.
This story is already a year old; it just came across my radar screen. I wonder what the statistics are for other Commonwealth countires, and for American veterans? - Sean Linnane
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