Robert Buckland Weblog

The effects of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan seem to be covered very fully by our media.  Sad and moving funeral corteges through Wootton Bassett;  poor ordnance letting down our troops; campaigns to help those physically injured.  Some attention has been given to the psychological effects of war upon our troops and veterans,  but far too little in my opinion is being done to help them.

The revelation by the National Association of Probation Officers that a likely 8,500 veterans  of our two most recent wars are currently in prisons in the UK, with thousands further on Parole or on some form of Community Order should be enough to tell the Government that the cost of our failure to help service personnel returning from theatres of war is not only human, but economic.  In addition, our failure to help veterans come to terms with their experiences so that it will be easier for them to adjust to civilian life means that a huge potential resource is being wasted.  The training and organisational abilities of our veterans could be put to very good use in our communities.

The information came in a NAPO press released issued on 1st September, which was picked up by the BBC yesterday.  Here are some extracts:

“Thousands of former armed services personnel who served either in the Gulf or Afghanistan have been convicted of criminal offences and sentenced to a term of imprisonment following discharge from the army. The Ministry of Defence, in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice and veterans’ voluntary agencies are currently scoping the extent of the problem. Initial findings and data from Veterans in Prison suggests that as many as 8,500 former soldiers are currently in custody in the UK. The prison population for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland was 93,574 on 15 August 2008.

Evidence gathered from 22 Probation Areas confirms that there is a major problem. Napo has collected over 70 case studies and in virtually every incidence the former soldier served in either the Gulf or Afghanistan, became involved in excess alcohol or drug taking, and was subsequently convicted of an offence of violence and received a custodial sentence. In the vast majority of cases there was evidence of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which had gone untreated. There appears to be an absence of relevant stress counselling either on site or the point of discharge.

Former soldiers come into contact with the criminal justice system either at the point of arrest, when court reports are being prepared, or on reception into custody. Apart from isolated schemes, such as that at HMP Everthorpe and work in progress by the MOD’s Prison In Reach project, aimed at improving welfare visits to inmates, little exists in the way of support or referral to relevant agencies. The armed forces do not have an independent Inspectorate and soldiers have no right to belong to a representative organisation who would raise issues on their behalf.

It is highly likely that thousands more former soldiers are also on community penalties. The Ministry of Justice took the unprecedented step in June of issuing special guidelines to report writers when dealing with armed services personnel. They were told to avoid recommending measures such as curfews or programmes because they would be incompatible with army life. It is believed that the purpose of this circular is to maximise the number of service personnel with convictions who can therefore remain on duty.

Harry Fletcher, Assistant General Secretary of Napo, said: “It is of real concern that thousands of soldiers are in prison. The number of former soldiers in prison in the UK could exceed 8,500. Studies suggest over 7,000 in custody in England and Wales. A further 1,000 are likely to be in jail in Scotland. The vast majority of the offending is drug or alcohol related violence. There is no systematic availability of stress related counselling. This should be made available without delay and would drastically reduce the number of receptions into custody”.

He added: “Help and advice should be given to the men on arrest, when reports are being prepared, and on reception into prison. The information given out at HMP Everthorpe should be available in all jails. In addition the government must explore the possibility of setting up an independent Inspectorate and allowing armed service personnel to have their own representative organisation.”

The fact that it took three weeks for this news to reach a wider audience says much about the newsworthiness of this issue, sadly.   On hearing the news yesterday, I thought the Beeb said 12,000 were on parole or a community order, whereas the press release does not give a specific number.  Whether or not the figures are absolutely accurate is not to the point.  This is a significant problem that deserves urgent attention.

The old and rather romantic image of veterans as Chelsea Pensioners being wheeled down Whitehall each November is well and truly blown away by these disclosures.