Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Vets in prison twice as likely to be sex offenders
Chicago-Sun Times ^ | May 21, 2007 | AP

Posted on 05/21/2007 5:26:38 PM PDT by DogByte6RER

Vets in prison twice as likely to be sex offenders

May 21, 2007

WASHINGTON -- Veterans are more than twice as likely to be in prison for sex crimes than are people without military experience, the government reports. Federal researchers cannot say why.

A study released Sunday by the Bureau of Justice Statistics compared the populations of inmates who served in the military and those who did not. Veterans are less likely to be incarcerated but nearly one in four veterans in state prison was a sex offender, compared with one in 10 nonveteran inmates.

''We couldn't come to any definite conclusion as to why,'' said one researcher. AP

(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: crime; incarceration; inmates; military; pedophilia; prison; punishment; rape; sexoffenders; veterans; vets
As a Navy veteran, I'm not too thrilled about this news.

For the record...I am in prison almost every day. But I have WORKED at my correctional facility for almost 18 years and I will be more than happy when I reach retirement eligibility in 7 years.

I know some vets might not like this posting, but I am interested in reading some of the FReeper feedback as to why veterans in prison are twice as likely to be sex offenders.

I have my theories...which I'll post later.

1 posted on 05/21/2007 5:26:40 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

Simple. Vets are more likely to have had psychological counselling.


2 posted on 05/21/2007 5:28:04 PM PDT by Seruzawa (Attila the Hun... wasn't he a liberal?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

Is it just that vets are less likely to perpetrate OTHER forms of crimes? They’re less likely to be incarcerated, as the article says, but is that because non-sex-urge crimes are diminished by military experience, while sex-urge crimes are more persistent?


3 posted on 05/21/2007 5:31:22 PM PDT by atomicpossum (Replies must follow approved guidelines or you will be kill-filed without appeal.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER
it seems to me that service in a war zone would warp one's sense of right and wrong, being away from home long times could leave certain desires, um, unfulfilled, stress would cause emotional/mental disorders, armed forces personnel tend to come from lower income families (a parent demographic with a higher crime rate), soldiers also tend to be more "type A," I also suppose that soldiers are more likely to get caught for crimes they commit (for various reasons- the haircut, identifying marks/tattoos, conscience, more likely to get caught committing a crime on a base, etc.), and let's face it- many people who are "bad" tend to at some point in their lives end up with a choice between straightening their lives out with military service or eventually getting locked away for a long time.

OF COURSE, all of the above are purely uninformed speculation and are, at that, speculation that I'm not all that comfortable making about the men and women who risk their lives for my freedoms.

So, how long until someone drops the "in prison" part and claims that our troops are all rapists?
4 posted on 05/21/2007 5:37:21 PM PDT by verum ago (The Iranian Space Agency: set phasers to jihad!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

Well, I’ll look foward to your theories... I find it hard to believe the basic premise.... So I have no theories to share.


5 posted on 05/21/2007 5:37:34 PM PDT by LegendHasIt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

Until recently did not almost every man service in the military?


6 posted on 05/21/2007 5:37:53 PM PDT by svcw (There is no plan B.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER
The answer to that question could be as simple as the concept that sex offense is one of the few crimes veterans, as a whole ,might commit. For example, veterans might be far less likely than the average citizen to be armed robbers, murderers, arsonists, etc., so that, statistically, other crimes that veterans commit, even if they commit them in the same proportion as the general population, seem out of proportion when compared only to other veterans in prison.

I'll give a more concrete example: let's say you have 100 people in general and another 100 veterans. Out of the sample of the general population, maybe 2 will commit fraud, 2 will commit robbery, 2 will commit murder, 2 will commit felony property damage, and 2 will commit rape. That would mean that, 10% of the general population is in prison, and out of those prisoners, 2% are sex offenders. Meanwhile, out fo 100 veterans, maybe 1 committed murder, 1 committed robbery, and 1 committed rape. That's 3% of veterans who are in prison (as opposed to 10% of general pop), yet a full 33.3% of veteran prisoners are sex offenders. This gives the appearance of some rampant sex problem within the pool of veterans, even though, in this case, veterans would have committed sex offenses in lesser proportion than the genreal population.

Now, my numbers are all made up, but they show a perfect example of how this study can be complete BS. Don't ever forget Mark Twain's analysis of statistics.
7 posted on 05/21/2007 5:39:14 PM PDT by fr_freak
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER
Another variation of this story.
8 posted on 05/21/2007 5:47:05 PM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER
One possibility is that these people are more aggressive and forceful from the start. Like any other instrument, their qualities create good when guided by morals --- service to their country is one. And, when guided by immoral impulses, the same qualities create evil.

One could argue in the same vein that these people are more likely to kill. The question is whom: enemies of our country or a pedestrian. I am sure that the service in the military is NOT a cause of this behavior; rather, it is the same trait that moves some to join the military turns sometimes sour in civilian life.

9 posted on 05/21/2007 5:47:49 PM PDT by TopQuark
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER
What a stupid article. The reason is obvious - it is one of the crimes serious enough to get you sent to prison from the military. Whereas there isn't a whole lot of shoplifting down at the PX.

Come on people, they think we are stupid. They looked at populations *of inmates*. Vets are vastly less likely to be in prison than the general population is.

10 posted on 05/21/2007 5:49:38 PM PDT by JasonC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

Very misleading headline and study. It does not say vets commit sex crimes at a higher rate than the general population, only that a vet who IS in prison is more likely to be there for a sex crime than the non-vet inmates. Considering the fact that so many inmates are in for drug related crimes and drug use is FAR lower among vets, it’s no surprise.


11 posted on 05/21/2007 5:53:42 PM PDT by ETCM
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fr_freak; DogByte6RER
I do believe that you are right. What we need to see is the rate of criminality per 100,000. I'll guarantee that those with military service commit crime at a lower rate across the board.

The wording of the reporting on the study is deceptive, but of course it is the ap. Go figure. ANYTHING to hurt the war effort and disparage the military.

12 posted on 05/21/2007 5:54:35 PM PDT by Eagles6 (Dig deeper, more ammo.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

I look at the source of this crap and I have serious reservations. As during the Vietnam era, much of the liberal press lied.


13 posted on 05/21/2007 5:58:53 PM PDT by caisson71
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DuncanWaring

Good info on that thread.

Thanks.


14 posted on 05/21/2007 6:08:53 PM PDT by DogByte6RER ("Loose lips sink ships")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: atomicpossum
Is it just that vets are less likely to perpetrate OTHER forms of crimes? They’re less likely to be incarcerated, as the article says, but is that because non-sex-urge crimes are diminished by military experience, while sex-urge crimes are more persistent?

I think you are right.

15 posted on 05/21/2007 6:26:47 PM PDT by syriacus (Shock a lib today. Hand them a copy of the censorship rules imposed by Truman's govt in Jan., 1951.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: fr_freak

Nice explanation.


16 posted on 05/21/2007 6:28:27 PM PDT by syriacus (Shock a lib today. Hand them a copy of the censorship rules imposed by Truman's govt in Jan., 1951.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER
As a Navy veteran, I'm not too thrilled about this news.

There are good veterans, and there are bad veterans ...

17 posted on 05/21/2007 6:32:56 PM PDT by af_vet_1981 (Waiting for Samson)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fr_freak
Thank you for explaining so well.

The headline reminded me of a study circulated about 15 ago about how 3 our of 4 people with MS had been raised in homes with pets of some type. Therefore, pets caused MS.

This seems the same sort of BS. They dream up a statistic that fits their agenda and then figure a way to get there.

18 posted on 05/21/2007 6:42:47 PM PDT by silver charm (Duncan Hunter '08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER
Vets in prison twice as likely to be sex offenders

Um, so if I ever go to prison, and my pet rat needs medical care, I'll make a special effort to check out the vet's backgroun.

19 posted on 05/21/2007 6:43:56 PM PDT by Silly (http://www.sarcasmoff.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER; Calpernia; onyx; wagglebee; freema; mdittmar; OldFriend; Impeach98; abb; bert; ...

HERE’S the money quote that should have been the headline:


Veterans are less likely to be incarcerated


20 posted on 05/21/2007 9:37:28 PM PDT by The Spirit Of Allegiance (Public Employees: Honor Your Oaths! Defend the Constitution from Enemies--Foreign and Domestic!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson