Study: British Combat Veterans More Likely To Commit Violent Crimes

UK Military men more likely to commit violent offences (Reuters)

UK Research Shows Link Between Military Service And Assaults -- The Australian/Herald Sun

YOUNG men who serve in the military are three times more likely to have committed a violent offence in their lifetime than civilians, new research reveals.

A study, published in medical journal The Lancet, found the risk of soldiers offending was the highest after they returned from war.

One in five men under 30 who had served in the military was a violent offender, compared with 6.7 per cent in the general population.

The authors, from King's College, London, cross-matched more than 13,850 records of UK military personnel who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan with national crime records.

They found 17 per cent of the 12,359 males had a criminal record.

Read more ....

More News On The Link Between Military Service And Violent Crime

Combat soldiers more likely to commit violent crimes: study -- Reuters
British combat veterans more prone to violent crimes, study finds -- The Australian/The Times
Soldiers more likely to be convicted of violent offences, report reveals -- The Guardian
'Violence risk' after military tours -- BBC
Military men at greater risk of committing violent crime -- London Evening Standard
The aftermath of war: UK military personnel at increased risk of violent offending – study -- The Journal.ie
How combat fuels crime and violence for soldiers -- Express
UK Servicemen ‘More Likely to Commit Violent Crimes’ -- International Business Times

Are U.S. Army Veterans Treated Better In Prison?

Correction: Martin Prison, in Florida, is one of five across the state to open up special dorms for armed forces veterans

Prisons Deny Giving Preferential Treatment To Army Veteran Inmates... Who Can Ask To Be Housed In Separate Dorms -- Daily Mail

Veterans of the U.S. armed forces who end up in prison now have access to special dormitories - prompting accusations they are being given preferential treatment.

The criminal former soldiers can now ask to live together under one roof, where they have access to additional academic and vocational programs.

They can also receive counselling for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Five units have opened up in prisons across Florida - just in time for Veterans Day tomorrow.

Read more ....

My Comment: So they get a few extra privileges .... but they are still in prison.

One In Ten Prisoners In Britain Are Military Veterans

20,000 Neglected Ex-Servicemen Are Either In Jail Or On Probation -- The Daily Mail

The neglect of ex-servicemen was branded a 'disgrace' yesterday as it was revealed that 20,000 are in prison or on probation in England and Wales.

The shocking figures compiled by probation staff show that one in ten prisoners used to be in the armed forces - up by almost a third in five years.

Critics claimed the findings were proof that vast numbers of troops who risk their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan are facing severe problems when they return to civilian life.

Read more ....

My Comment: Nothing has changed .... The Daily Mail did the same story 3 years ago, and the numbers are still the same.

Army: Soldiers In Slayings Faced Intense Combat

Two Soldiers from 3rd Platoon, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division move a simulated casualty to a covered and concealed area during a platoon situation training exercise near Camp Red Devil.(U.S. Army photo by Maj. T. G. Taylor, 4th BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.)

From Yahoo News/AP:

FORT CARSON, Colo. – Soldiers from a Colorado unit accused in nearly a dozen slayings since returning home — including a couple gunned down as they put up a garage sale sign — could be showing a hostility fueled by intense combat in Iraq, where the troops suffered heavy losses and told of witnessing war crimes, the military said Wednesday.

The Army launched an investigation after soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division — nicknamed the Lethal Warriors — were accused in a spate of five killings around Colorado Springs, home to Fort Carson, in 2007 and 2008.

Six other slayings involving unit soldiers occurred in Colorado and other states since 2005.

Read more ....

My Comment: A million plus U.S. men and women have served in Iraq .... and now we know that some of them may have committed crimes (including murder).

This is news?

My father served with the Russian Army in the Second World War from the fall of 1941 to the end of 1945 in Germany. He was witness to atrocities that probably the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division would relate to if they had served on the Russian front for 4 years.

But throughout his life my father was a law abiding and honest man, who would not even hurt a fly.

Crimes are not committed solely because of experiences in combat .... crimes are usually committed by people who are simply just bad folks. If a combat veteran commits a crime that is related to his war experience, it is usually because of post traumatic stress .... and even then these cases are usually the exception and not the rule.

AP is trying to make a mountain out of a molehill with these cases. What the AP should focus on is the problem that veterans have with homelessness and employment .... this is the problem that impacts far more veterans than some of the bad apples who commit despicable crimes.