Developing a More Accurate Picture of Veteran Offending: A Short Report on the Potential of Linked Administrative Data

Most criminal justice administrative databases lack an identifier for veteran status. As a result, analyses of military veterans’ offending often use prison-based samples or rely upon self-identification, which can omit critical populations of veterans, confounding results. The lack of data hinders efforts to accurately estimate the prevalence of veteran offending and describe its contours, both of which are necessary to design responsive interventions. We build a more comprehensive picture of veterans and the criminal justice system by linking Pennsylvania sentencing records (2016-2021) to veteran status using administrative data from the VA. These data enable the comparison of demographic and offense characteristics of veterans and non-veterans. Veterans were older (with a unique bimodal age distribution), more likely to be male, and had less prior criminal history, particularly with regard to juvenile offenses. Veterans were disproportionately convicted of crimes against minors, danger to persons offenses, and DUIs, and they were underrepresented in drug and property offenses. We conclude by calling for more consistent and reliable identification of veterans in criminal justice data, particularly those used by researchers.