Abstract

The aetiology of offending among military personnel, in particular violent offending, is a topic of increased political interest in the aftermath of the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts. This paper will present findings from research which linked data from a representative sample of UK military personnel with official criminal justice records to explore how early life factors, military-experiences, mental health and post-service factors impact on offending behaviour in this population. In particular the impact of combat exposure and the mediating role of PTSD and alcohol misuse will be described, as well as the protective role of socioeconomic stability after the leaving service.