Prison Adjustment Among Military Veterans: The Impact of Traumatic Events, Service History, and PTSD

• Published date: 01 October 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X231170108
• Author: Mark Alden Morgan,Matthew William Logan,John Wooldredge,Andrea Hazelwood
• Date: 01 October 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X231170108

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2023, Vol. 67(13-14) 1401 –1424

© The Author(s) 2023

Article reuse guidelines:

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DOI: 10.1177/0306624X231170108

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Article

Prison Adjustment Among

Military Veterans: The

Impact of Traumatic

Events, Service History,

and PTSD

Mark Alden Morgan1, Matthew William Logan2,

John Wooldredge3, and Andrea Hazelwood4

Abstract

Military veterans have been shown to differ demographically from non-veterans in the

criminal justice system. However, relatively little is known about their psychological

adjustment, institutional misbehavior, and the efficacy of programing received while

incarcerated. Using data taken from a national sample of prison inmates, this study

investigates how traumatic events experienced during military service can impact the

intensity of negative affect among veterans. Additionally, we examine whether prison

misconduct is influenced by military service history and the receipt of substance

abuse treatment. Controlling for a host of relevant variables, our results indicate that

traumatic events show a significant effect on psychological adjustment only indirectly

through veterans who developed post-traumatic stress disorder and that misconduct

is lower among those who received an honorable discharge. Overall, these findings

suggest that the ability of veterans to resist adverse outcomes may depend on a

variety of factors both within and outside the prison environment.

Keywords

combat exposure, honorable discharge, military veterans, PTSD, traumatic events

1University of Dayton, Dayton, USA

2Texas State University, San Marcos, USA

3University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, USA

4Pennsylvania State University, State College, USA

Corresponding Author:

Mark Alden Morgan, Department of Criminal Justice and Security Studies, University of Dayton, 300

College Park, Dayton, OH 45469, USA.

Email: mmorgan2@udayton.edu

1170108IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X231170108International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyMorgan et al.

research-article2023

1402 International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 67(13-14)

As a group, military veterans have a variety of service experiences that vary consider-

ably across several important domains. For instance, they serve in distinct branches

with unique cultures and fulfill different occupational duties (Redmond et al., 2015;

Soeters et al., 2006); tens of thousands are deployed overseas yet many never serve in

a war zone or experience combat (Elder Jr et al., 1991; Wenger et al., 2018); while still

others will return from tours of duty having sustained some form of bodily injury or

emotional trauma that negatively affects them over the life course (Booth-Kewley

et al., 2010a; MacLean & Elder, 2007). To this end, the lifetime prevalence of post-

traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among United States military veterans ranges

approximately between 10% and 30% compared to 7% among American adults in the

general population (Gradus, 2021). Conversely, numerous service members appear to

actually benefit physically and psychologically from having served, regardless of their

exposure to combat—a concept known as the “healthy warrior/soldier effect” (Kang

et al., 2015; G. E. Larson et al., 2008). However, a substantial body of literature con-

tinues to indicate that the link between military service and antisocial behavior, includ-

ing incarceration, is likely mediated by the onset of mental health disorders such as

PTSD, substance abuse, early military separation, and is contingent on the temporal

context of military service (e.g., Draft era vs. the All-Volunteer Force era) (Blonigen

et al., 2016; Booth-Kewley et al., 2010b; Craig & Connell, 2015; Elbogen et al., 2012;

Snowden et al., 2017).

In a systematic review, Baktir et al. (2020) underscored the importance of focusing on

within-group differences when studying the military-crime nexus and argued that future

research should be contextualized based on characteristics that differentiate service

members from one another. Similarly, prior studies have also recognized the importance

of individual risk factors when examining suicide, substance abuse, and violent behavior

among current or former members of the military (Elbogen et al., 2014; Jacobson et al.,

2008; LeardMann et al., 2013). As Baktir et al. (2020) concluded, “military service

seems to come with a cost” especially as it pertains to increased aggression, stranger

violence, and intimate partner violence (p. 242; see also Sullivan & Elbogen, 2014).

Along these lines, in a sample of 1,434 active duty and veteran service members seeking

treatment for PTSD, Straud et al. (2022) found that 85% self-reported engaging in psy-

chological aggression (e.g., shouting, yelling, insulting, swearing) and 11% in physical

aggression (e.g., grabbing, pushing, throwing objects) against someone on a weekly

basis or more. Criminal justice involvement among veterans also appears to be exacer-

bated by the presence of PTSD and “anger hyperarousal symptoms,” but the effects of

combat exposure are mixed—suggesting that the formation of negative traumatic expe-

riences may be more important (Finlay, Owens et al., 2019, p. 9; Watts & Wright, 2021).

Moreover, a meta-analysis by Taylor et al. (2020) determined that the odds of arrest for

a violent offense were 1.59 times higher among veterans with PTSD compared to those

without. While the greater incidence of sexual offending among incarcerated veterans

remains poorly understood, potential causes include a violent, “hypermasculinized”

military culture, pre-enlistment sexual perpetration, adverse childhood experiences, and

comorbid psychiatric/psychosocial problems (Finlay, McGuire et al., 2019; Schaffer &

Zarilla, 2018; Turchik & Wilson, 2010). Therefore, in addition to measures tapping