A report released by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) Veterans Justice Commission makes a series of recommendations to improve the way the criminal justice system treats veterans.
The report, titled “Honoring Service, Advancing Safety: Supporting Veterans From Arrest Through Sentencing,” finds that one in three veterans report having been arrested at least once in their lifetime and that an estimated 181,500 veterans are incarcerated in local, state, or federal facilities.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2021, there were 16.5 million veterans alive in the United States.
Many veterans have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or other mental health issues. These issues can make it difficult for veterans to adjust to civilian life and find employment.
A significant number of veterans are homeless. This is due to a number of factors, including mental health issues, substance abuse, and lack of affordable housing.
Veterans sometimes have difficulty finding employment after they leave the military. This is due to a number of factors, including the lack of transferable skills, the stigma associated with mental health issues, and discrimination.
The report also finds that the civilian justice system is often ill-equipped to handle veterans, who may be struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or other mental health issues.
As a result, veterans are more likely to be incarcerated than non-veterans, and they are less likely to receive the treatment and support they need.
The CCJ Veterans Justice Commission makes the following recommendations:
- Improve identification of veterans: The report recommends that law enforcement agencies and jails use data-based tools to identify veterans and that they encourage veterans to self-identify.
- Expand diversion programs: The report recommends that states and the federal government expand diversion programs for veterans, which allow veterans to avoid prosecution or incarceration if they complete treatment or other requirements.
- Create a National Center on Veterans Justice: The report recommends that the federal government create a National Center on Veterans Justice to fund research on veterans and the criminal justice system, and to identify effective programs and practices.
The CCJ Veterans Justice Commission is a bipartisan group of experts from the military, veterans’ service organizations, the criminal justice system, and academia.
The commission was formed in 2022 to assess the challenges facing veterans in the criminal justice system and to make recommendations for improvement.
This is the first of three reports that the commission will issue. The next report will focus on the challenges veterans face during their transition from military to civilian life, and the final report will focus on the challenges veterans face after they are released from incarceration.
“These recommendations are a call to action,” said former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel, the only Vietnam veteran and the first enlisted combat veteran to have served as Secretary of Defense. “Too many veterans are ending up in our criminal justice system, and while they must be held accountable for their behavior, our nation has a responsibility to honor their service and help them address the factors that often drive them to break the law.”
“While there have been innovations and improvements in how we manage and support justice-involve veterans in recent years, the situation, frankly, remains appalling,” said former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who is a U.S. Army veteran. “We can and must do better for the men and women who put their lives at risk to serve our nation.”
Panetta also served as White House Chief of Staff, CIA director, director of the Office of Management and Budget, and as a U.S. Representative from California.
In addition to Hagel and Panetta, Commission members include a former Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, two formerly incarcerated veterans, and other top military, veterans, and criminal justice leaders.
The CCJ Veterans Justice Commission’s recommendations are a call to action for policymakers, criminal justice professionals, and veterans’ service organizations.
By working together, we can ensure that veterans who come into contact with the criminal justice system receive the treatment and support they need to succeed.