More veterans in justice system than soldiers serving in Afghanistan

[Colin]

The following article makes very disturbing reading indeed. Some of the most disciplined members of society ending up in pokey in massively disproportionate numbers. This is yet more evidence of how our government neglects the troops they send to combat. In most cases the behaviour of these individuals is down to the side-effects of the jobs they have done, this being everything from maladjustment back to civvy street after years in the forces, through every stage of PTSD from mild to serious and suicidal.

If our military were provided the proper support when they return from combat or leave the service, there would be far fewer of them ending up incarcerated

The number of former servicemen in prison or on probation or parole is now more than double the total British deployment in Afghanistan, according to a new survey. An estimated 20,000 veterans are in the criminal justice system, with 8,500 behind bars, almost one in 10 of the prison population.

The proportion of those in prison who are veterans has risen by more than 30% in the last five years.

The study by the probation officers' union Napo uncovers the hidden cost of recent conflicts. The snapshot survey of 90 probation case histories of convicted veterans shows a majority with chronic alcohol or drug problems, and nearly half suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression as a result of their wartime experiences on active service.

Revealed: the hidden army in UK prisons | UK news | The Guardian

Professor Tim Robbins, consultant clinical psychologist and former head of traumatic stress services at St George's hospital, London, said: "If we are asking people to do appalling things, to take part in regular firefights and hand-to-hand combat, you get to the stage where it de-sensitises them to violence. It is not just these specific things, but also [for soldiers] there is the constant rising and falling of the level of tension. In combat, they are constantly on edge and after a while they become constantly on edge."

Harry Fletcher, Napo's assistant general secretary, said the high numbers of former soldiers in prison was unacceptable: "There is overwhelming evidence that support is not available of sufficient calibre when soldiers leave the service. The preponderance of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression is also alarming."