Military and Crime: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Issue 2 (1st February 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Baktir, Yusuf; Mustafa Icer, Mehmet; Craig, Jessica
• Is Part Of: Deviant behavior. Volume 41:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 233
• Page End: 251
• Publication Date: 2020-02-01
• Subjects: Deviant behavior -- Periodicals; 302.54205
• DOI: 10.1080/01639625.2018.1556997
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0163-9625

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study systematically analyzed the literature on the effects of military participation on later criminal behavior. When all studies were analyzed as a whole, the findings did not indicate a clear effect. However, a focus upon specific offense types revealed that the military experience decreased non-violent crime but increased violent crime. Active military personnel tended to be less likely to commit crime. Some evidence demonstrated that male and non-white veterans committed more crime than their civilian counterparts, but future research is needed to replicate these subgroup differences. Theoretical implications and future research directions are also discussed.