A Personal Request...

by Jamie Keyes

Currently we have no idea how many veterans we have in our jails and prisons all over this country. The  last study was done in 2004 and it did not include data on those who are being held in county jails awaiting  trial. In most of the cases that I know of right now:

• The families cannot afford attorneys
• The veteran has tried to get help (or the family member tried,) to no avail, or they were not given the  timely aggressive treatment that they needed and ended up in prison.
• The veterans PTSD and service record was not taken into consideration in the courtroom.
• Many have attempted suicide
• Most have had multiple deployments and have been involved in combat
• Most have no prior criminal record and have an excellent service record
• Bureau Of Justice statistics say that they get longer sentences than non-veterans

Many have had inadequate screening for mental health issues when exiting the military or after  deployment Many will not come forward and express having "issues' while in the military because they are afraid of  rank reduction, ridicule, stigma etc. Military superiors can be pretty hard on these guys and will often tell  them to suck it up or ignore their cries for help. They have little trust in their leaders and they know that  divulging that they have problems will jeopardize their status in the military.

Most will never get any kind of treatment while in prison Many have been involved in "violent" crimes, however no one was hurt.

The government is ignoring the tsunami of veterans coming home from current conflicts and intersecting  with the criminal justice system. There is not enough funding for treatment or treatment facilities. Almost no  funding for veterans courts. The VA is overwhelmed and cannot possibly tend to all of the new cases of PTSD that appear every day. 

Often their way of handling the load is to give them too many medications and send them on their way. The  therapy is often too little too late (if any at all) Over-medication causes all kinds of problems, including  criminality. A handful of pills with no monitoring is an invitation for abuse. Many of the meds given out to  these soldiers are actually causing ill side effects (violence, instability, unable to make rational decisions  etc) I am just a mom of an incarcerated veteran, and advocate, yet I am getting calls from desperate families  who's kids are in trouble at least three times a week.

Give me a call and I can tell you more...

Jamie Keyes 770 725-4527

Keep on loving each others as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some  people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow  prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:1

Over 225,000 veterans held in Nation’s prisons or jails in 1998.

• Among adult males in 1998, there were 937 incarcerated veterans per 100,000 veteran residents.
• 1 in every 6 incarcerated veterans was not honorably discharged from the military.
• About 20% of veterans in prison reported seeing combat duty during their military service.
• In 1998, an estimated 56,500 Vietnam War-era veterans and 18,500 Persian Gulf War veterans were  held in State and Federal prisons.
• Nearly 60% of incarcerated veterans had served in the Army.
• Among state prisoners, over half (53%) of veterans were white non-hispanics, compared to nearly a  third (31%) of non-veterans; among Federal prisoners, the percentage of veterans who were white (50%)  was nearly double that of non-veterans (26%).
• Among State prisoners, the median age of veterans was 10 years older than other prison and jail  inmates.
• Among State prisoners, veterans (32%) were about 3 times more likely than non-veterans (11%) to  have attended college. Veterans are more likely than others to be in prison for a violent offense but less likely to be serving a  sentence for drugs.
• About 35% of veterans in State prison, compared to 20% of non-veterans, were convicted of homicide  or sexual assault.
• Veterans (30%) were more likely than other State prisoners (23%) to be first-time offenders.
• Among violent State prisoners, the average sentence of veterans was 50 months longer than the  average of non-veterans.
• At year-end in 1997, sex offenders accounted for 1 in 3 prisoners held in military correctional facilities.
• Combat veterans were no more likely to be violent offenders than other veterans. Veterans in State prison reported higher levels of alcohol abuse, lower levels of drug abuse, than other  prisoners.
• Veterans in State prison were less likely (26%) than other State prisoners (34%) to report having used  drugs at the time of their offense.
• Nearly 60% of veterans in State prison had driven drunk in the past, compared to 45% of other inmates.
• About 70% of veterans, compared to 54% of other State prisoners, had been working full-time before  arrest.
• Incarcerated veterans were as likely as non-veterans to have been homeless when arrested.