Does Military Service Make the Experience of Prison Less Painful? Voices From Incarcerated Veterans

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 770-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. May ◽  
Kristen L. Stives ◽  
Makeela J. Wells ◽  
Peter B. Wood
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Willingness To Serve ◽  
The Military ◽  
Community Sanctions ◽  
Black Inmates ◽  
Alternative Sanctions

There are more than 100,000 military veterans incarcerated in prisons throughout the United States. Nevertheless, almost nothing is known about these veterans or their incarceration experiences. In this article, we present results from a survey of more than 1,100 inmates in a large state correctional system to determine how inmates who are military veterans compare with inmates who have not served in the military in terms of their willingness to serve alternative sanctions to avoid imprisonment. The data reveal that, with the exception of military service, inmates who are military veterans are significantly less likely than their counterparts who have not served in the military to accept a variety of community sanctions over prison. In addition, Black inmates who have not served in the military are somewhat different than White inmates who have served in the military in those choices. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.

Health and Service-related Impact of Sexual and Stalking Victimization During United States Military Service on LGBT Service Members

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052097031
Author(s):  
Cary Leonard Klemmer ◽  
Ashley C. Schuyler ◽  
Mary Rose Mamey ◽  
Sheree M. Schrager ◽  
Carl Andrew Castro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Military Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
Active Duty ◽  
Service Members ◽  
United States Military ◽  
Service Outcomes ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
The Military ◽  
Stalking Victimization

Prior research among military personnel has indicated that sexual harassment, stalking, and sexual assault during military service are related to negative health sequelae. However, research specific to LGBT U.S. service members is limited. The current study aimed to explore the health, service utilization, and service-related impact of stalking and sexual victimization experiences in a sample of active-duty LGBT U.S. service members ( N = 248). Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit study participants. U.S. service members were eligible to participate if they were 18 years or older and active-duty members of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, or U.S. Air Force. This study included a sizeable portion of transgender service members ( N = 58, 23.4%). Sociodemographic characteristics, characteristics of military service, health, and sexual and stalking victimization in the military were assessed. Regression was used to examine relationships between health and service outcomes and sexual and stalking victimization during military service. Final adjusted models showed that experiencing multiple forms of victimization in the military increased the odds of visiting a mental health clinician and having elevated somatic symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology, anxiety, and suicidality. Sexual and stalking victimization during U.S. military service was statistically significantly related to the mental and physical health of LGBT U.S. service members. Interventions to reduce victimization experiences and support LGBT U.S. service members who experience these types of violence are indicated. Research that examines the role of LGBT individuals’ experiences and organizational and peer factors, including social support, leadership characteristics, and institutional policies in the United States military is needed.

LGBT Military Service Policies in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Goodhart ◽  
Jami K. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Military Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
Psychological Disorder ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Transgender People ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Lgbt People ◽  
The Military ◽  
The U.S

For most of its history, the U.S. military has maintained a policy of exclusion toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people serving in uniform. The justifications for these exclusions have included the view that being homosexual or transgender is a psychological disorder, that it undermines military morale and effectiveness, and a fear that LGBT people would be vulnerable to foreign espionage. Explicit policies banning consensual homosexual sex—and excluding from service those who engage in it—date to the period between World Wars I and II, but de facto efforts at exclusion have existed since the early days of the republic. Regulations governing homosexuals in the military came under pressure in the 1970s and 1980s as societal views toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people changed, and those LGB service members discharged under the policy increasingly challenged their treatment in court. (Public pressure to change regulations governing transgender people in the military arose mostly in the 2000s, though litigation efforts date to the 1970s.) In addition to general shifts in public and legal opinion, the debate over LGB people serving in the U.S. military was affected by the experience of foreign militaries that allow LGB people to serve. United States law began to loosen formal restrictions on LBG people serving in uniform with the passage of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) in 1994, but it still required LGB people to serve in secret. Changing public perceptions of LGB people and problems implementing the ban galvanized support for eliminating such restrictions. In 2010, President Obama signed legislation repealing DADT and removing all restrictions on LGB people serving in the military. However, transgender people do not enjoy the same rights. The Trump administration has revised Obama-era rules on transgender service members to enable greater exclusion. The issue is being contested in the courts and appears ripe for further political and legal dispute.

Military Service Members’ Satisfaction With Outness: Implications for Mental Health

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wyatt R. Evans ◽  
Sebastian J. Bliss ◽  
Christina M. Rincon ◽  
Scott L. Johnston ◽  
Jagruti P. Bhakta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Military Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
The Military

This study is among the first examining lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) service members in the United States following the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy repeal. Higher levels of outness predict better mental health among general LGB populations. The military environment, like other traditional/conservative settings, may alter this relation; however, no data are available on outness among LGB service members in the United States. We examined 236 service members’ level of outness and satisfaction with outness in relation to depression and anxiety symptoms. Results revealed greater level of outness was related to higher satisfaction with outness, with each variable related to better mental health. Importantly, satisfaction fully mediated the relation between level of outness and mental health, indicating satisfaction to be a more salient predictor than level alone. Findings relevant to military policy makers and health-care providers are discussed along with recommendations for advancement of research into outness among LGB people.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic issues of United States military neurosurgery

2002 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross R. Moquin ◽  
James M. Ecklund
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
The United States ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Case Volume ◽  
Related Case ◽  
Direct Exposure ◽  
Military Neurosurgery ◽  
The Military

Although the practice of neurosurgery in the United States (US) Armed Forces is in many ways similar to the civilian practice of neurosurgery, there are many differences as well. The unique challenges, duties, and opportunities US military neurosurgeons are given, both in peacetime and in times of conflict, are discussed, as are pathways for entering into service. The advantages of military service for neurosurgeons include sponsored training, decreased direct exposure to tort actions, little involvement with third-party payers, significant opportunities for travel, and military-specific experiences. The most appealing aspect of military practice is serving fellow members of the US Armed Forces. Disadvantages include the extreme gap between the military and civilian pay scales, lack of support personnel, and in some areas low surgery-related case volume. The greatest concern faced by the military neurosurgical community is the failure to retain experienced neurosurgeons after their obligated service time has been completed, for which several possible solutions are described. It is hoped that future changes will make the practice of military neurosurgery attractive enough so that it will be seen as a career in itself and not an obligation to endure before starting practice in the “real world.”

Ajax in America, or Catharsis in the Time of Terrorism

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 306-319
Author(s):  
Matthew Roberts
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Military Personnel ◽  
Military Service ◽  
World Literature ◽  
Assistant Professor ◽  
The United States ◽  
Military Bases ◽  
American Military ◽  
American Society ◽  
The Military

Originally funded by the US Department of Defense in 2009, Theater of War Productions’ first project, Theater of War, performs dramatic readings of Ajax at military bases, hospitals, and academic institutions throughout the United States. Developed by Bryan Doerries, Theater of War brings awareness to the epidemic of suicide and other forms of violence committed by American military service members in the wake of the United States’ so-called ‘war on terror’. But like Ajax, American military personnel typically turn to violence only after being betrayed by the institutions that they served. This article follows how Ajax’s more modern manifestation disrupts the tragic protagonist’s status as a sacrificial victim whose death precipitates tragedy’s cathartic effect, and challenges what René Girard calls the ‘scapegoat mechanism’ and its socio-political function. It argues that Ajax’s appearance as a cathartic figure in American society provokes spectators and artists to reckon with the conditions that can cause military personnel to act violently, and inspires protests against broader hegemonic socio-political structures and the military culture that sustains them. Matthew Roberts is Assistant Professor and Librarian for Comparative and World Literature, English, and Drama at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

scholarly journals Thank You for Hearing My Voice – Listening to Women Combat Veterans in the United States and Israeli Militaries

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shir Daphna-Tekoah ◽  
Ayelet Harel-Shalev ◽  
Ilan Harpaz-Rotem
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Female Veterans ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
The Military ◽  
Female Soldiers ◽  
Combat Soldiers

The military service of combat soldiers may pose many threats to their well being and often take a toll on body and mind, influencing the physical and emotional make-up of combatants and veterans. The current study aims to enhance our knowledge about the combat experiences and the challenges that female soldiers face both during and after their service. The study is based on qualitative methods and narrative analysis of in-depth semi-structured personal interviews with twenty military veterans. It aims to analyze the narratives of American and Israeli female combat soldiers regarding their military service, with emphasis on the soldiers’ descriptions, in their own words, about their difficulties, challenges, coping and successes during their service and transition to civilian life. A recurring theme in the interviews with the veterans of both militaries was the need to be heard and the fact that societies, therapists, and military institutions do not always truly listen to female veterans’ experiences and are not really interested in what actually ails them. Our research suggests that conventional methods used in research relating to veterans might at times be inadequate, because the inherent categorization might abstract, pathologize, and fragment a wide array of soldiers’ modes of post-combat being. Moreover, female veterans’ voices will not be fully heard unless we allow them to be active participants in generating knowledge about themselves.

scholarly journals Trend and Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among The Military Population – A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azizan Omar ◽  
Hui Ling Leong ◽  
Foong Ming Moy
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Military Personnel ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Work Productivity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Military Population ◽  
Strong Trend ◽  
Obesity Interventions ◽  
The Military

Prevalence of overweight and obesity are escalating globally among the general population. However, there are limited evidence on the trends and prevalence of overweight /obesity in the military setting. Increased rates of injuries, low work productivity, incurred higher healthcare costs and prematurely discharge from service are consequences of overweight/obesity among the military. Therefore, we aimed to systematically describe the trends and prevalence of overweight and obesity in the military population, by regions and military service branches. Databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar were used. Inclusion criteria were military population (inclusive of all service branches) with BMI reported as the overweight/obesity indicator. Population related to military but not exclusively military personnel such as the retirees, the veterans and their dependents were excluded. From the 27 included studies, 13 were published between year 2010 to 2014 and half were conducted in the United States. Overall, studies showed increasing trend in the prevalence of overweight (30% to 50%) and obesity (2% to 30%); only one study showed a decreasing trend of 0.9% and 0.6% for the prevalence of overweight and obesity respectively. However, the rates of increment differed between countries, where Asian countries demonstrated lower overweight prevalence compared to the United States and the European countries. In conclusion, the military population is not protected from overweight and obesity. Interventions should be implemented to prevent overweight / obesity among the military personnel.

This Is Not Your Father’s (or Your Mother’s) Army

Head Strong ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 158-180
Author(s):  
Michael D. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Military Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
Racial Composition ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Military ◽  
Recent Policy

By the year 2050, whites will no longer be the majority in the United States. As the nation changes, the military also must change in order to reflect the ethnic and racial composition of the nation and to remain an effective fighting force. In addition to race and ethnicity, the modern military welcomes into its ranks all Americans who qualify to serve. Psychologists may inform the military on ways to better achieve balance among its ranks. Recent policy changes allow women to serve in all military jobs, including direct combat. The history of African Americans and women’s military service is described. Gays, lesbians, and other formerly stigmatized and discriminated against individuals now serve openly, and methods for reducing stigma and bias are discussed. The importance of having a military that accurately represents its national population is explored.

Epilogue

2018 ◽  
pp. 303-316
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Military Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
Oliver Wendell Holmes ◽  
The Military

The conclusion summarizes the argument about pragmatism through the military service of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. It also considers the degree to which the war wrought cultural change to the United States.

Building resilience in US military families: why it matters

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001735
Author(s):  
Alicia Gill Rossiter ◽  
C G Ling
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Military Families ◽  
The United States ◽  
Military Family ◽  
Military Spouse ◽  
Physical And Psychological Health ◽  
The Military ◽  
The Impact

Service members and their families have endured significant stressors over the past 19 years in support of the nation’s engagement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. ‘Resilience’ is the term most commonly used to describe the military spouse and military-connected child. However, due to a paucity of research on military families, little is known about the impact of spousal/parental military service on the military family. The ability of the healthcare provider is critical to ensuring the success of the military spouse and military-connected child. Providers can support the physical and psychological health needs of military families through (1) identification of military family members in clinical practice and (2) providing culturally competent care that correlates the unique lifestyle and physical and psychological health exposures associated with spousal/parental military service. Historically, in the United States, there has been a proud legacy of generational military service in families—upwards of 80% of new recruits have a family member who has served in the military. The leading factor associated with retention of the service member on Active Duty or in the Reserve or National Guard is the satisfaction of the at-home spouse. Disenfranchising the military spouse and lack of services and support for military-connected children could create a gap in meeting recruitment goals creating a threat to national security in the United States.

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