Offense and Victim Characteristics of Veteran Violent Offenses: Insights From the 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates

Previous research highlights critical Veteran-civilian differences in antisocial behavior, including unique demographic and offense characteristics among justice-involved Veterans and disproportionately high involvement of Veterans in family violence. However, comparatively limited empirical attention has investigated potential victim characteristics of Veterans with criminal-legal involvement, resulting in a limited understanding of these Veterans’ criminogenic and rehabilitative needs. Using a nationally representative sample of incarcerated adults convicted of violent offenses, the current study compared offense and victim characteristics among incarcerated Veterans ( N = 1,112) and civilians ( N = 10,448) and among incarcerated Veterans with and without histories of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or combat exposure. Veterans had a greater likelihood than civilians of being incarcerated for sexual offenses and for offenses against persons who were female; under age 18 years old; well-known to the offender; and a spouse, child, or stepchild of the offender. Veterans also had a greater likelihood of acting alone and a lower likelihood of using a firearm at the time of offense. Offense and victim characteristics were not consistently associated with Veteran histories of PTSD or combat exposure. Findings are broadly consistent with the extant literature highlighting potentially elevated rates of family violence among Veterans compared to civilians. Findings support the potential benefit of developing guidance for screening and identification efforts, coordination and integration of resources and services to mitigate risk among at-risk Veterans and their families, and rehabilitative interventions for Veterans with criminal-legal involvement.