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

Authors

• David C. May, Mississippi State University
• Kristen L. Stives, Mississippi State University
• Makeela J. Wells, Mississippi State University
• Peter B. Wood, Eastern Michigan University

ORCID

May: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8275-6773

MSU Affiliation

College of Arts and Sciences; Department of Sociology

Creation Date

2026-06-01

Abstract

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.

Publication Date

2-10-2016

Publication Title

Criminal Justice Policy Review

Publisher

SAGE Publications

First Page

770

Last Page

789

Rights

© The Author(s) 2016

Recommended Citation

May, D. C., Stives, K. L., Wells, M. J., & Wood, P. B. (2017). Does Military Service Make the Experience of Prison Less Painful? Voices From Incarcerated Veterans. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 28(8), 770-789.