Research at a glance

Why we did this study

About one in 30 Canadian adults are veterans of the Canadian military. Despite these numbers, there is a gap in our knowledge about their involvement with the criminal justice system. An informal inquiry from the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman prompted a more thorough analysis of the issue of veterans under correctional supervision.

What we did

Questions relating to prior military service were temporarily added to a screening instrument used with selected federal offenders after their admission to custody. From February 2009 to May 2010, over 2,000 male offenders from three regions responded to questions about prior military service. A review of U.S. and U.K. literature on incarcerated veterans was also undertaken.

What we found

Of the offenders asked about their Canadian military service, 2.8% reported having served.

This figure was consistent with expectations. U.S. and U.K. studies have found that the the percentage of veterans in a correctional population is close to that in the general population. In the Canadian context, the 2.8% of federal offenders reporting prior Canadian military service is close to the 3% of the general Canadian population with prior service.

This finding was used to estimate the total number of Canadian veterans under CSC’s jurisdiction. By applying the figure of 2.8% to the total population of federal offenders, we can estimate that as of May 2010, there were about 383 incarcerated and 243 supervised federal offenders.

Given the lack of information on veterans in the provincial and territorial population, the 2.8% figure was also applied to this group. This resulted in an estimate of 273 sentenced and 360 remanded veterans in provincial or territorial custody in 2006/07.

U.K. and U.S. jurisdictions have gone beyond prevalence studies to examine how incarcerated veterans differ from their non-veteran counterparts. Generally, veterans are older, more educated, more likely to be convicted of violent offences, serve longer sentences, have shorter but more serious criminal histories, and have greater mental health needs.

With respect to mental health, a U.S. study found that one in five members of the armed services are suffering from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or traumatic brain injury. Other research demonstrates that an important proportion of veterans are unlikely to seek professional help in dealing with these issues. It has been posited that those who decline to seek professional help may then be more likely to turn to substance use, which is in turn associated with involvement in crime.

What it means

It is clear that the number of incarcerated or supervised veterans in Canada is quite large, likely over 1,200. The results of studies from the U.S. and the U.K. suggest that some of these veterans may have unique needs, possibly including higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder or substance abuse.

The representation of veterans in correctional populations may therefore have implications for correctional program and service delivery.

For more information

Bensimon, P. & Ruddell, R. Veterans in Canadian Correctional Systems. Ottawa, ON: Correctional Service of Canada.

To obtain a PDF version of the full report, contact the following address: research@csc-scc.gc.ca

Contact

Research Branch
(613) 996-3287
research@csc-scc.gc.ca