America is exceptionally good at sending members of its military into harm\u2019s way. We are far less good at managing what happens when those men and women come home.<\/p>\n
I recently toured the Vista Detention Facility north of San Diego and saw this problem firsthand. Although the facility\u2019s staff is doing commendable work, the fact that so many veterans are there in the first place shows how our efforts are falling short.<\/p>\n
Frankly, it broke my heart.<\/p>\n
Every year, roughly 200,000 service members leave our armed forces and begin the sometimes rocky transition to civilian life. Most succeed. They raise families, build businesses, become teachers and police officers, coach Little League and serve their communities in other ways. But some struggle, and more than a few end up in places like Vista, or worse.<\/p>\n
When this happens, our first instinct is to ask: What did this veteran do wrong? We should be asking the harder question too: Are we doing enough to prevent those who served from becoming entangled in the criminal justice system?<\/p>\n
The answer, unfortunately, is no.<\/p>\n
The nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice Veterans Justice Commission, which I direct, has documented<\/a> a troubling connection between military separation practices, unmet needs and veterans\u2019 subsequent involvement in the justice system. Tens of thousands<\/a> of veterans are currently incarcerated, and roughly one-third of veterans<\/a> report having been arrested and booked into jail at some point in their lives.<\/p>\n These statistics do not mean that military service causes criminal behavior. They do mean that we need to look harder \u2014 and earlier \u2014 at what happens to service members before they turn in their uniforms and become veterans.<\/p>\n One factor that merits concern is the dramatic growth of \u201cbad paper,\u201d shorthand for other-than-honorable discharges. The percentage of service members receiving such discharges has increased a whopping fivefold since World War II<\/a>. But here\u2019s the bigger news: While other-than-honorable discharges constitute approximately 6% of all discharges, they make up 18% of the discharges held by incarcerated veterans.<\/a><\/p>\n Commanders have a responsibility to maintain order and readiness among their troops. When a service member repeatedly misbehaves, abuses drugs or alcohol or fails to meet standards, commanders must act.<\/p>\n But they face a dilemma. The easiest way to remove a troubled service member from service is often a \u201cbad paper\u201d administrative discharge. The harder choice is to determine why the behavior is occurring, and whether targeted, evidence-based intervention might change it.<\/p>\n Is there combat-related PTSD? An undiagnosed brain injury? Military sexual trauma? Another treatable condition? Too often, in our haste to purge the troublemaker and get back to business, these possibilities are not even considered.<\/p>\n In short, although the military has become very good at identifying and managing risk on the battlefield, its leaders need to be equally committed to identifying risk in our own ranks.<\/p>\n Our failure to do so triggers life-altering consequences. Veterans with other-than-honorable discharges can face significant barriers to Veterans Affairs services, including the very treatment they need to address what caused them to misbehave in the first place. That gap in care can turn a difficult exit from the military into a downward spiral. Veterans are more likely to experience homelessness and a range of behavioral and mental health challenges. <\/a>For some, an encounter with the criminal justice system comes next.<\/p>\n To short-circuit this cycle, the Pentagon should equip commanders with evidence-based tools to distinguish between a service member who simply refuses to meet standards and one whose misconduct may be linked to trauma experienced in the service.<\/p>\n Yes, sometimes separation will be necessary, but our society shouldn\u2019t treat human beings as defective parts that should simply be axed from the inventory. That is effectively what today\u2019s system forces commanders to do. By making administrative discharge the default because rehabilitation is difficult, the Pentagon is often transferring the problem from the military to individual veterans, their families and, ultimately, the community.<\/p>\n