Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.
Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service, James A Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
Mil Med. 2023 Aug 29;188(9-10):e3143-e3151. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usac257.
Veterans and service members (V/SM) may have more risk factors for arrest and felony incarceration (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder and at-risk substance use) but also more protective factors (e.g., access to health care) to mitigate behaviors that may lead to arrest. As such, understanding which factors are associated with criminal justice involvement among V/SM could inform prevention and treatment efforts. The current study examined relationships between lifetime history of arrests and felony incarceration and sociodemographic, psychological, and brain injury characteristics factors among combat V/SM.
The current study was a secondary data analysis from the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium multicenter cohort study, approved by local institutional review boards at each study site. Participants were V/SM (N = 1,540) with combat exposure (19% active duty at time of enrollment) who were recruited from eight Department of Veterans Affairs and DoD medical centers and completed a baseline assessment. Participants were predominantly male (87%) and white (72%), with a mean age of 40 years (SD = 9.7). Most (81%) reported a history of at least one mild traumatic brain injury, with one-third of those experiencing three or more mild traumatic brain injuries (33%). Participants completed a self-report measure of lifetime arrest and felony incarceration history, a structured interview for all potential concussive events, the post-traumatic stress disorder checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption. Three groups were compared on self-reported level of lifetime history of criminal justice system involvement: (1) no history of arrest or incarceration (65%); (2) history of arrest but no felony incarceration (32%); and (3) history of felony incarceration (3%).
Ordinal regression analyses revealed that hazardous alcohol consumption (β = .44, P < .001; odds ratio = 1.56) was positively associated with increased criminal justice involvement after adjusting for all other variables. Being married or partnered (β = -.44, P < .001; odds ratio = 0.64) was negatively associated with decreased criminal justice involvement.
The rate of lifetime arrest (35%) in this V/SM sample was consistent with rates of arrests in the U.S. general population. One modifiable characteristic associated with lifetime arrest and felony incarceration was hazardous alcohol consumption. Alcohol use should be a top treatment target for V/SM at risk for arrest and those with history of criminal justice involvement.
退伍军人和军人（V/SM）可能有更多的被捕和重罪监禁的风险因素（例如，创伤后应激障碍和高危药物使用），但也有更多的保护因素（例如，获得医疗保健）来减轻可能导致被捕的行为。因此，了解 V/SM 中哪些因素与刑事司法参与有关，可以为预防和治疗工作提供信息。本研究调查了终身被捕和重罪监禁历史与退伍军人和军人的社会人口统计学、心理和脑损伤特征因素之间的关系。
本研究是慢性神经创伤影响联盟多中心队列研究的二次数据分析，该研究得到了每个研究地点当地机构审查委员会的批准。参与者为有战斗经历的退伍军人和军人（N=1540），其中 19%在入组时为现役军人，他们从八个退伍军人事务部和国防部医疗中心招募，并完成了基线评估。参与者主要为男性（87%）和白人（72%），平均年龄为 40 岁（SD=9.7）。大多数（81%）报告有至少一次轻度创伤性脑损伤史，其中三分之一的人有三次或更多次轻度创伤性脑损伤（33%）。参与者完成了一份关于一生中被捕和重罪监禁历史的自我报告量表、一份用于所有潜在脑震荡事件的结构化访谈、创伤后应激障碍检查表第五版（DSM-5）和酒精使用障碍识别测试-消耗。根据自我报告的刑事司法系统参与程度，将参与者分为三组：（1）无被捕或监禁史（65%）；（2）有被捕史但无重罪监禁史（32%）；（3）有重罪监禁史（3%）。
有序回归分析显示，危险饮酒（β=0.44，P<0.001；优势比=1.56）与调整所有其他变量后刑事司法参与度增加呈正相关。已婚或有伴侣（β=-0.44，P<0.001；优势比=0.64）与刑事司法参与度降低呈负相关。
本 V/SM 样本中终生被捕率（35%）与美国普通人群中的逮捕率一致。与终生被捕和重罪监禁相关的一个可改变的特征是危险饮酒。对于有被捕风险和有刑事司法参与史的 V/SM，饮酒应成为首要治疗目标。
