U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Special Report

Celebrating

 35 years

DECEMBER 2015 NCJ 249144

Veterans in Prison and Jail, 2011–12

Jennifer Bronson, Ph.D., E. Ann Carson, Ph.D., and Margaret Noonan, BJS Statisticians 

Marcus Berzofsky, Dr.P.H., RTI International

I

n 2011–12, an estimated 181,500 veterans (8% of 

all inmates in state and federal prison and local jail 

excluding military-operated facilities) were serving time 

in correctional facilities. This represented a decrease from 

the estimated 206,500 incarcerated veterans (9% of the total 

incarcerated population) in 2004, and was consistent with 

the decline in the number of veterans in the U.S. general 

population (figure 1). While the number of veterans in 

prison and jail increased along with growth in the overall 

number of persons incarcerated between 1980 and 2008, the 

proportion of incarcerated veterans has declined, down from 

an estimated 24% of all persons incarcerated in state prison 

and jail in 1978 (federal inmates were not surveyed in 1978). 

In 1978, 19% of U.S. adult residents, 24% of prisoners, and 

25% of jail inmates were military veterans. By 2011–12, 

veterans accounted for 9% of the general population, 8% of 

state and federal prisoners, and 7% of jail inmates.

Figure 1

Estimated percent of veterans in the U.S. resident population 

in prison and jail, 1978, 1985, 1998, 2004, and 2011–12

Percent

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Jail

Prison

U.S. adult residents

1978 1985 1998 2004 2011–12

Note: For years in which prison or jail inmates were not surveyed, the total prison 

or jail population was multiplied by the veteran distribution from the most recent 

survey. See Methodology.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics data collections on prison and jail inmates and 

U.S. Census Bureau population data collections. See table 1 for complete list.

HIGHLIGHTS

 The number of veterans incarcerated in state and federal 

prison and local jail decreased from 203,000 in 2004 to 

181,500 in 2011–12. 

 The total incarceration rate in 2011–12 for veterans (855 per 

100,000 veterans in the United States) was lower than the 

rate for nonveterans (968 per 100,000 U.S. residents).

 Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic inmates made up a 

significantly smaller proportion of incarcerated veterans 

(38% in prison and 44% in jail), compared to incarcerated 

non-Hispanic black and Hispanic nonveterans (63% in 

prison and 59% in jail). 

 A greater percentage of veterans (64%) than nonveterans 

(48%) were sentenced for violent offenses.

 An estimated 43% of veterans and 55% of nonveterans in 

prison had four or more prior arrests.

 More than three-quarters (77%) of incarcerated veterans 

received military discharges that were honorable or under 

honorable conditions.

 An estimated two-thirds of veterans in prison (67%) and 

jail (66%) were discharged from military service between 

1974 and 2000.

 From 2001 to 2012, veterans discharged during Operation 

Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation 

New Dawn accounted for 13% of veterans in prison and 

25% of veterans in jail.

 Nearly half of veterans prison (48%) and jail (44%) served 

less than 3 years in the military.

 A quarter of veterans in prison (25%) and less than a third of 

veterans in jail (31%) reported that they had been in combat 

while in the military. 

 About half of all veterans in prison (48%) and jail (55%) 

had been told by a mental health professional they had a 

mental disorder.

 Incarcerated veterans who saw combat (60% in prison and 

67% in jail) were more likely than noncombat veterans 

(44% in prison and 49% in jail) to have been told they had a 

mental disorder.
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 2

This report uses data from the 2011–12 National Inmate 

Survey (NIS-3) to describe the demographic characteristics, 

military service, and disability and mental health status of 

incarcerated veterans in jails and state and federal prisons. 

Data from previous BJS surveys of inmates in prison and 

jail were used to establish historical trends regarding 

incarcerated veterans. To facilitate comparisons, estimates 

of nonveteran inmates were standardized to the veteran 

inmate population’s distribution by sex, age, race, and 

Hispanic origin. See Methodology for further information on 

computational procedures and data limitations.

Veterans in prison and jail have decreased since 1998

In 2011–12, about 131,500 veterans were incarcerated 

in prison (8% of the total prison population) and 50,000 

were in jail (7% of the total jail population) (table 1). This 

represents a 6% decrease from the number of veterans 

incarcerated in prison in 2004 (8,500 fewer inmates) and a 

25% decrease from the number of veterans in jail in 2004 

(16,500 fewer inmates).

While veterans made up a larger proportion of the 

incarcerated population than the general population in 1978 

and 1985, the proportion of veterans in both the general and 

incarcerated populations was equal in 1998. Veterans were 

incarcerated at significantly higher rates than nonveterans 

in 1978 and 1985 and lower rates in 2004 and 2011–12. 

By 1998, a total of 948 nonveterans per 100,000 adult U.S. 

nonveteran residents were incarcerated in prison or jail, 

compared to 882 veterans per 100,000 adult U.S. veteran 

residents (figure 2).

Table 1

Veterans in the U.S. adult resident, prison, and jail populations, 1978, 1985, 1998, 2004, and 2011–12

U.S. adult residents Prison Jail

Year Total Veterans Percent Total Veterans Percent Total Veterans Percent

1978 157,810,300 29,984,000 19.0% 307,300 73,100 23.8%** 158,400 39,900 25.2%**

1985 176,370,700 27,857,000 15.8 502,500 100,200 19.9** 254,100 54,400 21.4

1998 201,576,800 25,062,000 12.4 1,307,200 156,400 12.0** 592,500 69,300 11.7

2004 220,832,100 23,427,600 10.6 1,497,100 140,000 9.4** 714,000 66,500 9.3

2011–12* 241,419,000 21,230,900 8.8 1,570,400 131,500 8.4 744,500 50,000 6.7

Note: For years in which either prison or jail inmates were not surveyed, the total prison or jail population was multiplied by the veteran distribution from the most recent 

survey. See Methodology. See appendix table 3 for standard errors.

*Comparison group.

**Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, 1996 and 2002; Annual Survey of Jails, 1986, 1997, and 2004; Survey of Inmates in State and Federal 

Correctional Facilities, 1979, 1986, 1997, and 2004; National Jail Census, 1978; Correctional Populations in the United States, 1985, 1998, 2004, and 2012; National Inmate 

Survey, 2011–12; Profile of Jail Inmates, 1978; Veterans in Prison or Jail; and U.S. Census Bureau, National Estimates by Age, Sex, Race: 1900–1979; Quarterly Intercensal 

Resident Population, 1980–1989; National Intercensal Estimates, 2000–2010; National Monthly Postcensal Estimates, 1990–2000; Census Estimates for National Prisoner 

Statistics, 2012; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1987 and 1999; Census Factfinder Tables, 2004 and 2012; and American Community Survey, 2005. U.S. Veterans 

Administration, Annual Report 1978.

Figure 2

Incarceration rate of veterans in prison and jail, 1978, 1985, 

1998, 2004, and 2011–12

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

Veterans

Nonveterans

1978 1985 1998 2004 2011–12

Incarceration rate per 100,000 U.S. adult residents

Note: Incarceration rates are based on the U.S. resident population of persons age 

18 or older. Rates for nonveterans are based on the number of nonveterans in 

the U.S. adult resident population. Rates for veterans are based on the number of 

veterans in the U.S. adult resident population.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics data collections on prison and jail inmates and 

U.S. Census Bureau population data collections. See table 1 for complete list.
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 3

In 2011–12, there were 619 veterans per 100,000 adult 

residents incarcerated in prison and 236 veterans per 

100,000 adult residents in jail (table 2). The incarceration 

rate for veterans in prison increased 4% from 2004 to 

2011–12 (from 598 to 619 per 100,000), while the rate 

for nonveterans decreased 5% (from 687 to 653). During 

the same period, the incarceration rate for veterans 

in jail decreased 17% (from 284 to 236 per 100,000 in 

2004), compared to a 4% decrease for nonveterans (from 

328 to 315).

In 2011–12, males accounted for 93% of nonveterans 

and 99% of veterans in prison (table 3). Similarly, males 

accounted for 87% of nonveterans and 97% of veterans in 

jail. Unless stated otherwise, analyses in the remainder of 

this report are limited to data on male inmates.

On average, veterans in prison and jail were older than 

nonveterans

Veterans incarcerated in jail were an average of 43 years 

of age, 11 years older than nonveterans (age 32) (table 3). 

More than a quarter (27%) of veterans and nearly two-thirds 

(64%) of nonveterans in jail were ages 18 to 34. Almost 19% 

of veterans in jail were age 55 or older, compared to 3% of 

nonveterans. Veterans in prison averaged 49 years of age, 

12 years older than nonveteran prison inmates. Thirteen 

percent of veterans and 47% of nonveterans were ages 18 to 

34, and 33% of veterans and 6% of nonveterans were age 55 

or older.

The race or Hispanic origin of veterans in prison and jail 

differed significantly from nonveterans. In prison, 50% 

of veterans and 27% of nonveterans were white, 27% of 

veterans and 38% of nonveterans were black, and 11% 

of veterans and 26% of nonveterans were Hispanic. A 

higher proportion of non-Hispanic white veterans (44%) 

than nonveterans (31%) were in jail, while non-Hispanic 

blacks were equally represented among veterans (32%) and 

nonveterans (35%). Twenty-four percent of nonveterans and 

11% of veterans in jail were Hispanic.

In both prison and jail, more veterans had been married 

at some point in their lives than nonveterans. Significantly 

more nonveterans (57% in prison and 61% in jail) than 

veterans (24% in prison and 32% in jail) had never been 

married. Forty-five percent of veterans in prison and 31% of 

veterans in jail were divorced, compared to 17% of divorced 

nonveterans in prison and 12% in jail.

Incarcerated veterans had more years of formal education 

than nonveterans. A higher percentage of veterans in prison 

(20%) and jail (18%) than nonveterans (5% each in prison 

and jail) obtained at least a college degree.

Table 2

Incarceration rate per 100,000 U.S. adult residents age 18 

or older, by veteran status, 1978, 1985, 1998, 2004, and 

2011–12

Prison Jail

Year Nonveterans Veterans Nonveterans Veterans

1978 183 244 93 133

1985 271 360 134 195

1998 652 624 296 277

2004 687 598 328 284

2011–12 653 619 315 236

Note: Incarceration rates are based on the U.S. resident population of persons age 

18 or older. Rates for nonveterans are based on the number of nonveterans in 

the U.S. adult resident population. Rates for veterans are based on the number of 

veterans in the U.S. adult resident population.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics data collections on prison and jail inmates and 

U.S. Census Bureau population data collections. See table 1 for complete list. 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 4

Table 3

Demographic characteristics of inmates in prison and jail, by veteran status, 2011–12

Prison Jail

Veterans Nonveterans* Veterans Nonveterans*

Characteristic Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Sex 131,500 100% 1,308,200 100% 50,000 100% 668,800 100%

Male 130,100 98.9** 1,213,100 92.7 48,400 96.8** 578,900 86.6

Female 1,400 1.1** 95,100 7.3 1,600 3.2** 89,900 13.4

Agea 130,100 100% 1,213,100 100% 48,400 100% 578,900 100%

18–24 3,300 2.5** 165,300 13.6 4,100 8.5** 161,200 27.8

25–34 13,700 10.5** 410,000 33.8 9,000 18.6** 208,000 35.9

35–44 27,900 21.4** 342,000 28.2 10,100 20.9 118,300 20.4

45–54 42,500 32.7** 220,100 18.1 15,800 32.6** 73,700 12.7

55–64 30,900 23.8** 62,900 5.2 7,900 16.4** 15,500 2.7

65 or older 11,800 9.1** 12,600 1.0 1,400 3.0** 2,200 0.4

Mean agea 49.0 years** 37.0 years 43.5 years** 32.4 years

Race/Hispanic origina 128,700 100% 1,199,100 100% 47,600 100% 572,500 100%

Whiteb 64,800 50.3** 323,300 27.0 20,900 43.9** 176,600 30.8

Black/African Americanb 34,300 26.7** 449,200 37.5 15,300 32.1** 201,700 35.2

Hispanic/Latino 14,100 11.0** 308,000 25.7 5,500 11.5** 137,600 24.0

Otherb,c 3,000 2.3 29,700 2.5 1,300 2.8 14,000 2.4

Two or more racesb 12,500 9.7** 89,000 7.4 4,600 9.8** 42,600 7.4

Marital statusa 129,100 100% 1,205,700 100% 48,200 100% 574,900 100%

Never married 31,500 24.2** 685,700 56.5 15,400 31.8** 350,000 60.5

Married 28,000 21.6** 224,000 18.5 10,900 22.5** 107,800 18.6

Widowed 5,600 4.3** 16,400 1.4 1,700 3.4** 7,100 1.2

Divorced 58,000 44.6** 206,800 17.0 15,200 31.4** 71,900 12.4

Separated 6,000 4.6** 72,800 6.0 5,000 10.4** 38,100 6.6

Highest level of educationa,* 130,000 100% 1,210,600 99.9% 48,300 100% 575,900 99.7%

Less than high school

 diploma/GED 36,900 28.3** 737,900 60.8 10,400 21.6** 326,100 56.3

High school diploma/GED 26,100 20.1 241,400 19.9 13,000 26.8** 135,900 23.6

Some college 41,500 31.9** 166,900 13.8 16,300 33.7** 84,500 14.7

College degree or higher 25,500 19.6** 64,300 5.3 8,600 17.8** 29,500 5.1

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding and missing data. Nonveterans were standardized to age, race, and Hispanic origin for male prison and jail inmates. 

See appendix table 4 for standard errors.

*Comparison group.

**Difference with the comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.

aIncludes male inmates only unless stated otherwise.

bExcludes persons of Hispanic or Latino origin. 

cIncludes American Indian and Alaska Natives and Asian, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islanders.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 5

Incarcerated veterans were more likely to be convicted 

on a violent sexual offense and have fewer priors than 

nonveterans

Veterans in prison reported fewer prior arrests and 

incarcerations than nonveterans (table 4). An estimated 

43% of veterans and 55% of nonveterans in prison had 

four or more prior arrests, while 22% of veterans and 

16% of nonveterans had one prior arrest. When standardized 

to the veteran population, 64% of veterans and 52% of 

nonveterans in prison were sentenced for violent offenses. 

An estimated 29% of both veterans and nonveterans in 

prison reported their most serious offense was a nonsexual 

violent crime, but a greater percentage of veterans (35%) 

than nonveterans (23%) was in prison for a violent sexual 

offense. When standardized to the veteran population, 

a larger proportion of nonveterans than veterans were 

in prison for property (17% for nonveterans compared 

to 12% for veterans), drug (19% compared to 14%), and 

DUI/DWI (4% compared to 3%) offenses.

An estimated 81% of veterans and 77% of nonveterans 

received sentences of 5 or more years, including sentences 

of life or death. More veterans (16%) than nonveterans 

(14%) in prison were serving life sentences, while fewer 

veterans (17%) than nonveterans (21%) were serving 

sentences of 1 to 4 years. 

Table 4

Current offense, sentencing, and criminal history characteristics of male inmates in prison, by veteran status, 2011–12

Percent of male prisoners

Estimated number of male prisoners Nonveterans

Veterans Nonveterans Veterans* Standardized Unstandardized

Most serious current offense 123,600 1,153,900 100% 100% 100%

Violent sexual 43,700 168,000 35.4 23.3** 14.6**

Other violent 35,700 382,500 28.9 28.9 33.1**

Property 14,500 199,500 11.7 17.2** 17.3**

Drug 17,500 268,100 14.2 19.3** 23.2**

DUI/DWI 3,500 31,800 2.8 4.1** 2.8

Other 8,700 104,100 7.0 7.1 9.0**

Sentence length 128,800 1,201,700 100% 100% 100%

Less than 1 year 2,500 41,200 1.9 2.5 3.4**

1–4 years 22,200 297,300 17.2 20.6** 24.7**

5–19 years 54,200 535,300 42.1 40.0 44.5

20 years or more 28,700 211,400 22.3 22.8 17.6**

Life sentence 21,100 114,600 16.4 13.9** 9.5**

Death sentence 200 1,900 0.1 0.2 0.2

Number of prior arrests 128,900 1,201,800 100% 100% 100%

1 28,100 173,400 21.8 15.7** 14.4**

2–3 45,000 365,000 34.9 29.2** 30.4**

4–10 36,900 437,700 28.6 34.8** 36.4**

11 or more 18,900 225,700 14.6 20.3** 18.8**

Prior incarcerationa 130,100 1,213,100 100% 100% 100%

Yes 95,400 972,600 73.3 77.5** 80.2**

No 34,700 240,500 26.7 22.5** 19.8**

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding and missing data. Nonveterans were standardized to veterans for age, race, and Hispanic origin for male prison 

inmates. See appendix table 5 for standard errors.

*Comparison group.

**Difference with the comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.

aIncludes prison, jail, or any other correctional facility.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 6

About a third of veterans (32%) and a quarter of nonveterans 

(25%) in jail had not been previously incarcerated (table 5). 

Compared to nonveterans in jail, a larger proportion of 

veterans had one prior arrest and a smaller proportion had 

11 or more prior arrests. Similar proportions of veterans 

(53%) and nonveterans (52%) in jail were unsentenced. 

Among jail inmates who were serving sentences, sentence 

length did not significantly differ based on veteran status. 

About 22% of both groups were sentenced to less than 

1 year, 14% were sentenced to 1 to 4 years, and 10% were 

sentenced to 5 years or more.

In 2011–12, a larger percentage of veterans than nonveterans 

was incarcerated in jail for a violent sexual offense. 

Nonveterans were more likely to be held for property 

offenses (25% for nonveterans compared to 21% for 

veterans) and drug offenses (23% of nonveterans compared 

to 18% of veterans).

Table 5

Current offense, sentencing, and criminal history characteristics of male inmates in jail, by veteran status, 2011–12

Percent of male jail inmates

Estimated number of male jail inmates Nonveterans

Veterans Nonveterans Veterans* Standardized Unstandardized

Most serious current offense 44,300 528,300 100% 100% 100%

Violent sexual 5,200 27,900 11.8 6.5** 5.3**

Other violent 6,900 94,900 15.5 14.1 18.0**

Property 9,200 130,200 20.8 25.2** 24.6**

Drug 7,800 124,600 17.7 23.0** 23.6**

DUI/DWI 3,600 27,500 8.1 7.7 5.2

Other 11,600 123,100 26.1 23.5** 23.3**

Criminal justice status 48,000 569,500 100% 100% 100%

Sentenced 22,500 271,500 47.0 48.3 47.7

Unsentenced 25,500 298,000 53.0 51.7 52.3

Sentence length 47,000 555,500 100% 100% 100%

Unsentenced 25,500 298,000 54.3 52.9 53.7

Less than 1 year 10,500 121,700 22.3 22.0 21.9**

1–4 years 6,300 81,200 13.5 14.5 14.6**

5 years or more 4,100 52,100 8.7 10.2** 9.4

Number of prior arrests 48,000 571,400 100% 100% 100%

1 6,000 60,100 12.5 8.1** 10.5**

2–3 12,100 156,700 25.2 23.6 27.4**

4–10 18,500 215,400 38.6 37.9 37.7**

11 or more 11,400 139,300 23.7 30.3** 24.4**

Prior incarcerationa 48,000 578,900 100% 100% 100%

Yes 32,900 421,100 68.5 75.1** 72.7**

No 15,100 157,800 31.5 24.9** 27.3**

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding and missing data. Nonveterans were standardized to veterans for age, race, and Hispanic origin for male jail inmates. 

See appendix table 6 for standard errors.

*Comparison group.

**Difference with the comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.

aIncludes prison, jail, or any other correctional facility.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 7

The majority of incarcerated veterans did not 

experience combat during their military service

The majority of veterans in prison (75%) and jail (69%) 

reported that they did not experience combat while serving 

in the U.S. military (table 6).

1 Of those who saw combat in 

at least one conflict zone, 42% of veterans in prison and 24% 

in jail served in Vietnam. Among combat veterans serving 

prison terms in 2011–12, 27% (8,500 inmates) fought in 

the Persian Gulf. Thirty-nine percent (12,000 inmates) 

1 Inmates may have served in more than one combat zone and/or more than 

one branch of the military.

saw combat in some other action. A higher percentage of 

veterans in jail saw combat in Afghanistan (23%) or Iraq 

(42%) than veterans in prison (16% in Afghanistan and 26% 

in Iraq). Fifty-one percent of veterans in jail reported serving 

in other conflict zones while in the military.

The service branch profile of incarcerated veterans was 

similar for both jail and prison inmates. The majority (55%) 

of incarcerated veterans served in the U.S. Army, followed by 

the Navy (20%), Marine Corps (18%), Air Force (9%), and 

Coast Guard (2%). 

Table 6

Military characteristics of male veterans in prison and jail, 2011–12

Veterans in prison* Veterans in jail

Characteristic Number Percent Number Percent

Branch of servicea,b 126,000 100% 50,200 100%

Air Force 12,100 9.3 4,500 9.4

Army 70,700 54.5 26,400 54.7

Marine Corps 21,600 16.7 8,500 17.7

Navy 25,700 19.8 9,800 20.3

Coast Guard 1,900 1.5 1,000 2.1

Combat experiencea,b,c 127,900 100% 47,400 100%

None 96,100 75.1 32,800 69.0

Combat veteran 31,800 24.9 14,700 31.0

Combat by conflicta,b 49,300 100% 24,700 100%

World War II 1,100 3.6 300 2.4

Korea 1,400 4.6 400 2.6

Vietnam 13,200 41.8 3,500 24.3**

Persian Gulf 8,500 26.9 3,800 25.8

Afghanistan 5,000 15.9 3,400 23.3**

Iraq 8,100 25.5 6,000 41.5**

Otherd 12,000 38.6 7,300 50.9**

Type of dischargeb 123,300 100% 44,300 100%

Honorable 65,100 52.8 23,300 52.7

General under honorable conditions 29,500 23.9 10,600 24.0

Other than honorable 16,000 12.9 5,400 12.2

Dishonorable/bad conduct 6,700 5.4 2,500 5.6

Other 6,100 4.9 2,400 5.4

Era of dischargeb,e 121,400 100% 43,600 100%

Pre-Vietnam era (1940–1963) 4,300 3.5 400 0.9

Vietnam era (1964–1973) 19,600 16.1 3,700 8.5

Post-Vietnam era (1974–2000) 81,700 67.3 28,700 65.8

OEF/OIF/OND era (2001–2012)f 15,900 13.1 10,800 24.8

Length of military serviceb 126,000 100% 46,700 100%

Less than 3 years 59,800 47.5 20,500 43.9

3 years to less than 5 years 35,900 28.5 13,700 29.4

5 years or more 30,300 24.0 12,500 26.8**

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding and missing data. See appendix table 7 for standard errors.

*Comparison group.

**Difference with the comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.

aDetail exceeds total because inmates were allowed to select more than one response.

bTotal number of inmates may vary between characteristics due to missing data.

cBased on inmate self-report of having experienced combat in a line or combat unit during their military service.

dExamples of other conflicts include the Balkans, Nicaragua, Somalia, Kosovo, etc.

eDate of last discharge was used to categorize veteran inmates.

f

OEF/OIF/OND = Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 8

Almost half of veterans in prison (48%) and jail (44%) 

served in the U.S. military for less than 3 years, while about 

a quarter of prisoners (24%) and jail inmates (27%) had 

5 years or more of military service. More than three-quarters 

(77% each) of veterans in prison and jail received discharges 

from the military that were honorable or general under 

honorable conditions. Less than 10% of prisoners (5%) 

and jail inmates (6%) received dishonorable or bad 

conduct discharges.

Two-thirds of veterans incarcerated in prison (67%) and 

jail (66%) separated from the military between 1974 and 

2000. A quarter of veterans (25% or 10,800) in jail left the 

military between 2001 and 2012, the Operation Enduring 

Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn 

(OEF/OIF/OND) era. A higher percentage of veterans in 

prison served in Vietnam (16%) than OEF/OIF/OND (13%).

Veterans in prison and jail were likely to report having 

been told they had post-traumatic stress disorder

Past 30-day serious psychological distress (SPD) is measured 

by the K6 scale of nonspecific psychological distress.2 When 

standardized to the veteran population, no significant 

difference was observed in the percentage of veterans 

(14%) and nonveterans (15%) in prison who had scores 

consistent with SPD (table 7). An estimated 48% of veterans 

and 36% of nonveterans in prison were ever told they had 

a mental disorder. Veterans in prison (23%) were twice as 

likely as nonveterans (11%) to report that a mental health 

professional ever told them they had post-traumatic stress 

disorder (PTSD).

2The K6 scale is a six-question, self-reported mental health screener widely 

used in national surveys. It is not the same as a clinical diagnosis of a mental 

disorder(s) and is used here as an indicator that an inmate might have a 

current mental health problem. See Methodology.

Table 7

Mental health characteristics reported by male inmates, by veteran status, 2011–12

Prison Jail

Veterans*

Nonveterans

Veterans*

Nonveterans

Standardizeda Unstandardized Standardizeda Unstandardized

Indicators of a current mental health problem 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Past 30-day serious psychological distressb 14.0 14.7 14.1 28.5 26.4 25.3

Currently treated for a mental health problemc 18.1 15.5** 12.9** 25.6 19.4** 14.9**

Taking prescription medication 14.4 12.5** 9.8** 22.1 17.0** 12.8**

Receiving counseling/therapy from a 

 trained professionald 12.7 10.9** 9.3** 11.3 8.5** 6.5**

History of a mental health problem 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Told by a mental health professional they had a 

 mental disordere 47.6% 36.3%** 33.4%** 54.7% 43.4%** 39.6%**

Major depressive disorder 27.3 24.1 21.9** 34.4 30.3** 26.9**

Bipolar disorder 17.5 16.2 15.9 26.6 23.5** 22.0

Schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder 10.0 9.2 8.3** 13.4 13.6 11.2**

Post-traumatic stress disorder 22.9 11.1** 9.7** 31.0 15.1** 12.4**

Anxiety disorderf 12.1 11.3 10.2** 19.4 17.1** 15.2**

Personality disorderg 16.5 13.5** 12.2** 16.8 14.8** 12.6**

Ever had an overnight hospital stay for a 

 mental health problemh 25.8% 22.3%** 20.4%** 35.1% 28.5%** 25.5%**

Estimated number of inmates 130,100 1,213,100 1,213,100 48,400 578,900 578,900

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding and missing data. Nonveterans were standardized to veterans for age, race, and Hispanic origin for male prison and jail 

inmates. See appendix table 8 for standard errors.

*Comparison group.

**Difference with the comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.

aIncarcerated veterans were standardized to the prison and jail veteran populations based on the distribution by sex, age, race, and Hispanic origin.

bBased on K6 score of nonspecific serious psychological distress and meeting the criterion of a score of 13 or higher. See Methodology.

cCurrently is defined as the time of the interview.

dTrained professional includes psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, or nurse. 

eBased on inmates who reported that at some point in their lives, a mental health professional, including a psychiatrist or psychologist, told them they had a mental disorder.

f

Includes panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.

gIncludes antisocial and borderline personality disorder.

hIncludes inmates who stayed overnight or longer in a hospital or other facility to receive treatment or counseling for a problem with their emotions, nerves, or mental 

health. Does not include hospital stays for drugs or alcohol problems.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 9

Incarcerated veterans with combat experience remained in the military longer than 

those without combat experience

About 31,800 veterans in state and federal prisons and 

14,700 veterans in local jails reported that they experienced 

combat in a line or combat unit during their military service 

(table 8). 

Veterans with combat experience who were serving time in 

prison or jail were significantly more likely than those who did 

not see combat to have remained in the military longer and to 

have received an honorable discharge. Thirty-five percent of 

veterans in jail who left the military between 2001 and 2012 

saw combat, compared to 21% of veterans in prison.

Significantly more incarcerated veterans who had seen 

combat reported they were told that they had a mental 

disorder at some point in their lives. This could be influenced 

by increased access to mental health services provided by the 

military. Sixty percent of veterans in prison who experienced 

combat and 44% of those who were not in combat were 

Table 8

Characteristics of male veterans in prison and jail, by combat status, 2011–12

Prison Jail

Characteristic Combat experiencea No combat experience* Combat experiencea No combat experience*

Type of military discharge 100% 100% 100% 100%

Honorable 68.3** 47.8 65.8** 47.3

General under honorable conditions 16.1** 26.4 17.0** 27.0

Other than honorable 9.5** 14.1 8.6** 13.6

Dishonorable/bad conduct 3.2** 6.1 4.7 6.0

Other 2.9** 5.6 3.8** 6.1

Length of military service 100% 100% 100% 100%

Less than 3 years 23.9%** 55.4 21.8** 53.8

3 years to less than 5 years 36.2** 25.9 32.3** 28.0

5 years or more 39.9** 18.7 45.8** 18.2

Era of dischargee 100% 100% 100% 100%

Pre-Vietnam era (1940–1963) 1.9** 4.1 0.5** 1.2

Vietnam (1964–1973) 23.0** 13.9 10.8** 7.4

Post-Vietnam era (1974–2000) 53.8** 71.7 53.7** 70.7

OEF/OIF/OND era (2001–2012)e 21.3** 10.3 35.0** 20.6

Mental health status 100% 100% 100% 100%

No indicator of mental health problem 36.0** 51.2 27.1** 40.9

Past 30-day serious psychological distressb 16.4 13.2 31.1** 27.2

Told by a mental health professional they

 had a mental disorderc 59.5** 44.1 67.2** 49.3

Most serious current offense 100% 100% 100% 100%

Violent sexual 36.8 35.0 12.9 11.5

Other violent 28.9 28.8 16.4 15.1

Property 12.6 11.5 20.5 20.6

Drug 11.3 15.0 14.4** 19.3

Other 10.5 9.6 35.9 33.6

Estimated number of inmatesd 31,800 96,100 14,700 32,800

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding and missing data. See appendix table 9 for standard errors.

*Comparison group.

**Difference with the comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.

aBased on inmate having experienced combat in a line or combat unit during their military service.

bBased on K6 scale of nonspecific serious psychological distress and meeting the criterion of a score of 13 or higher. See Methodology.

cBased on inmates who reported that at some point in their lives, a mental health professional, including a psychiatrist or psychologist, told them that they 

had a mental disorder.

dDate of last discharge was used to categorize era of discharge.

eOEF/OIF/OND = Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12.
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 10

An estimated 29% of jail inmates had K6 scores consistent 

with SPD, and there was no significant difference between 

veterans and nonveterans. A higher percentage of veterans 

(26%) than nonveterans (19%) in jail reported they were 

currently being treated for a mental health problem.

A higher percentage of veterans (55%) than nonveterans 

(43%) in jail reported that, at some point in their lives, a 

mental health professional told them they had a mental 

disorder. The most common disorder for veterans (34%) 

and nonveterans (30%) was major depressive disorder. The 

proportion of veterans in jail who were ever told that they 

had PTSD (31%) was twice as high as nonveterans (15%).

Veterans in prison and jail were more likely than 

nonveterans to report a hearing or vision disability

Inmates were asked if they had one or more of six disability 

types: hearing, vision, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, 

or independent living (see Methodology). An ambulatory 

disability was the most common disability among 

veterans and nonveterans in prison (30% each of veterans 

and nonveterans) and jail (18% of veterans and 20% of 

nonveterans) (table 9). There were few significant differences 

between prisoners according to veteran status and disability. 

About 18% of veterans in prison reported a cognitive 

disability, 14% reported an independent living disability, and 

11% reported a hearing disability. 

After adjusting for age and race, nonveterans in jail (8%) 

were less likely than veterans (14%) to report having a 

hearing disability. Rates for vision, cognitive, self care, and 

independent living were comparable between nonveterans 

and veterans.

told they had a mental disorder at some point in their lives. 

Sixty-seven percent of veterans in jail who experienced 

combat reported they were told that they had a mental 

disorder, compared to 49% of veterans who were not in 

combat. The differences were smaller for current serious 

psychological distress (SPD), although more veterans in jail 

who had combat experience reported SPD. Thirty-one percent 

of veterans in jail who had combat experience and 27% who 

were not in combat reported current SPD, compared to 16% of 

veterans in prison with combat experience and 13% who were 

not in combat. 

Table 9

Estimated number of male veterans in prison and jail reporting a disability, by veteran status, 2011–12

Prison Jail

Veterans*

Nonveterans

Veterans*

Nonveterans

Disability type Standardized Unstandardized Standardized Unstandardized

Hearing 10.7% 11.5% 6.2%** 13.9% 8.3%** 5.4%**

Vision 10.3 11.2 7.3** 13.2 10.1 6.5**

Cognitive 18.0 15.1 8.2** 17.4 18.9 9.1**

Ambulatory 30.0 30.3 29.3 17.6 20.1 18.9

Self-care 7.7 4.4 2.2 3.6 3.0 1.9

Independent living 13.7 9.4 8.1 9.4 11.9 7.0

Estimated number of inmates 128,700 1,212,300 1,212,300 43,800 582,900 582,900

Note: Estimates based on alternative survey respondents only. See Methodology. Nonveterans were standardized to veterans for age, race, and Hispanic origin for male 

prison and jail inmates. 

See appendix table 10 for standard errors.

*Comparison group.

**Difference with the comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 

Incarcerated veterans with combat experience remained in the military longer 

than those without combat experience (continued)
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 11

Methodology

The National Inmate Survey

The findings in this report come from the 2011–12 fielding 

of the National Inmate Survey (NIS-3). The NIS-3 was 

conducted in 233 state and federal prisons, 358 local jails, 

and 15 special facilities (military, Indian country, and 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)) between 

February 2011 and May 2012. RTI International collected 

the data under a cooperative agreement with the Bureau of 

Justice Statistics (BJS).

The surveys were administered to 41,822 adult inmates in 

state and federal prison and 58,745 inmates in jail, for a total 

of 100,567 adult inmates who participated.

Additional information on the methodology for sample 

selection of facilities and inmates can be found in Sexual 

Victimization in Prisons and Jails Reported by Inmates, 

2011–12 (NCJ 241399, BJS web, May 2013).

Measurement of veteran status

In this report, the analysis of veteran status was restricted 

to adult inmates in prison or jail excluding military prisons. 

This report contains measures of veterans incarcerated in 

state and federal prison and local jail. It does not include 

estimates of all incarcerated service members because it 

excludes inmates age 17 or younger or in military, Indian 

country, or ICE facilities.

The veteran status module was administered to all inmates 

participating in the NIS-3. Survey respondents received the 

module before they were randomized to either the sexual 

victimization survey (90% of inmates) or the alternative 

survey (10% of inmates), and all inmates responded to the 

veteran module. The module on veteran status relied on 

inmates reporting their direct experience. It asked those 

who indicated they were a veteran about the branch of the 

military in which they served, whether they saw combat, the 

campaign(s) they fought in, their discharge type, and how 

long they served in the military.

Due to the small number of female respondents, it is not 

possible to make significant inferences about female veterans 

in prisons or jails. Therefore, except for the sex variable in 

table 3, this report excludes females from all analyses.

The audio computer-assisted self-interview questionnaire 

(listed as National Inmate Survey) is available on the 

BJS website.

Nonresponse bias analysis

Bias occurs when the estimated prevalence of an outcome 

is different from the actual prevalence of the outcome for a 

given inmate. One potential source of bias is nonresponse. 

For each survey in the NIS-3, a nonresponse bias analysis 

was conducted to determine whether inmates who did not 

receive modules (due to the time constraints built into the 

survey) that may be associated with veteran status were 

different from inmates who did receive those modules. For 

both the sexual victimization survey respondents and the 

alternative survey respondents, the analysis consisted of 

assessing the level of missing data for key items.

Key findings from the nonresponse bias analysis for 

respondents to the sexual victimization survey include the 

following for both prisons and jails:

 All inmates completed the demographic and criminal 

history modules.

 All inmates received the facility climate module, which 

includes items on contact with family and friends.

 All inmates received the disciplinary experiences module.

 More than 99% of inmates received the mental health 

screener module. When “don’t know” and “refuse” 

responses were taken into account, more than 95% of 

inmates provided useable responses to the mental health 

screener items.

 Of the inmates who reported a mental health condition, 

more than 15% did not receive the full mental health 

module due to survey time constraints.

 More than 15% of inmates did not receive the 

disability module.

Key findings from the nonresponse bias analysis for 

respondents to the alternative survey include the following 

for both prisons and jails:

 All inmates received the demographic and criminal 

history modules.

 More than 99% of inmates received the mental health 

screener items and full mental health module. When 

“don’t know” and “refuse” responses were taken 

into account, more than 95% of inmates provided 

useable responses.

 More than 99% of inmates received the disability module.

Based on this analysis, the following was determined:

 A combined file consisting of respondents from the sexual 

victimization survey and alternative survey can be used 

to analyze veteran status and demographics, criminal 

history, contact with family and friends, and mental 

health screener items.

Weighting and nonresponse adjustments

Responses from interviewed inmates were weighted to 

produce national-level estimates. Each interviewed inmate 

was assigned an initial weight corresponding to the inverse 

of the probability of selection within each sampled facility. 

A series of adjustment factors was applied to the initial 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 12

weight to minimize potential bias due to nonresponse and to 

provide national estimates.

Methods to adjust for survey nonresponse are described 

in Sexual Victimization in Prisons and Jails Reported by 

Inmates, 2011–12 (NCJ 241399, BJS web, May 2013). Once 

adjusted, weights were developed to account for survey 

nonresponse. An additional weighting adjustment was 

conducted to account for the potential bias introduced by 

nonresponse due to time constraints. Bias could result if the 

module nonrespondents were different from the module 

respondents. The adjustment for module nonresponse 

included a calibration of the weights so that the weight 

from a nonresponding inmate was assigned to a responding 

inmate with similar characteristics. 

Weight adjustments were conducted separately for the 

sexual victimization survey and the alternative survey so 

that each had weight totals representing the prison and 

jail populations by sex. For analyses that consisted of a 

combination of respondents to the sexual victimization 

and alternative surveys, an additional weight adjustment 

was made to ensure that weight totals were correct. In this 

adjustment, an inmate’s survey weight was adjusted by 

the probability of receiving the survey to which they were 

randomly assigned. As all inmates in the survey received the 

veteran module, this report includes additional responses 

that were properly weighted for inference to either the prison 

or jail population. The nonresponse bias analysis found that 

all inmates completed the demographic, criminal history, 

and veteran modules, so no response was necessary.

Standard errors and tests of significance

As with any sample survey, the NIS-3 estimates are subject 

to error arising from their basis on a sample rather than a 

complete enumeration of the population of adult inmates in 

prison and jail. Differences in the estimates for subgroups in 

the tables have been tested and noted for significance at the 

95% level of confidence. 

Standardization of nonveteran estimates

When comparing two populations, differences found for 

some characteristics or conditions may be statistically 

different as a result of a true difference in the populations or 

due to differences in basic demographics that are associated 

with the outcome of interest. Standardizing the estimates 

is one method that can be used to determine if these 

demographic differences are the only reason for differences 

found in other characteristics or conditions.

Standardizing survey estimates consists of calibrating the 

survey weights for one population so that the distributions 

are identical for key demographic characteristics known for 

each population. This process was done using SUDAAN’s 

PROC DESCRIPT procedure. The resulting estimates are 

not a representation of the standardized population by 

themselves (i.e., generalizations about the population cannot 

be made from standardized estimates), but are appropriate 

estimates for comparison with other populations of interest. 

In this report, the nonveteran prison and jail populations 

were standardized to the distributions of race or Hispanic 

origin and age for veterans in jail and prison. The analyses 

in this report were limited to the male inmate population, so 

standardization by sex was not necessary.

Measuring serious psychological distress

To determine whether inmates had an indicator of a current 

mental health problem, the NIS-3 included the K6 screening 

scale. The K6 scale is a measure of past 30-day, nonspecific 

serious psychological distress (SPD) and is not a diagnostic 

tool. It was developed by Kessler and colleagues to estimate 

the prevalence of serious mental illness in noninstitutional 

settings and as a tool to identify possible cases of psychiatric 

disorder.3 It has been used widely in epidemiological surveys 

in the United States and other countries including with 

prison populations.

The K6 scale consists of six questions that ask inmates to 

report how often during the past 30 days they had felt—

 nervous

 hopeless

 restless or fidgety

 so depressed that nothing could cheer them up

 everything was an effort

 worthless.

The response options were (1) all of the time, (2) most of 

the time, (3) some of the time, (4) a little of the time, and 

(5) none of the time. Following Kessler, the responses were 

recoded from 4 to 0, with 4 assigned to “all of the time” 

and 0 assigned to “none of the time.” A summary scale 

combining the responses from all six items, with a range of 

0 to 24, was then produced. The summary score was then 

reduced to three categories: 0 to 7 indicated no mental 

illness, 8 to 12 indicated an anxiety-mood disorder, and 

13 or higher indicated SPD.

3Kessler, R. C., Barker, P. R., Colpe, L. J., Epstein, J. F., Gfroerer, J. C., 

Hiripi, E., . . . Zaslavsky, A. M. (2003). Screening for serious mental illness 

in the general population. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60, 184-189. 

Kessler, R. C., Green, J. G., Gruber, M. J., Sampson, N. A., Bromet, E., 

Cuitan, M., . . . Zaslavsky, A. M. (2010). Screening for serious mental illness 

in the general population with the K6 screening scale: results from the 

WHO World Mental Health (WMH) survey initiative. International Journal 

of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 19(Supp. 1), 4-22.
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 13

Measuring disability

The disability module was administered to participating 

inmates in the NIS-3 for one of two reasons:

1. to ensure the sexual victimization survey length was 

similar for all participating inmates

2. as part of the alternative survey on mental and physical 

health, past drug and alcohol use, and treatment for 

substance abuse.

Inmates were randomly assigned to a core 

survey—90% received the sexual victimization survey and 

10% received the alternative survey. Respondents in the 

90% sample who completed the core sexual victimization 

survey in 45 minutes or less received the quasi-core 2, 

which contained the mental health and disability modules. 

Based on the time criteria, 31,048 prisoners and 47,427 

jail inmates randomly assigned to the sexual victimization 

survey completed the disability module. Of the inmates 

who received the alternative survey on mental and physical 

health, past drug and alcohol use, and treatment for 

substance abuse (10% of inmates surveyed), 4,237 prisoners 

and 5,958 jail inmates completed the disability module. 

Together, 35,285 prisoners, 88% of whom were in the sexual 

victimization survey sample (90% of inmates surveyed), 

answered the disability questions. Approximately 53,385 

jail inmates, 89% of whom were in the sexual victimization 

sample, answered the disability questions.

Disability data come from the 10% alternative sample only. 

This sample was a randomized set from the original sample 

of inmates in each facility, which allows all inmates in the 

United States to be independently represented. Nonresponse 

and poststratification adjustments were conducted on the 

10% sample only using the frame information (sex, age, 

race or Hispanic origin, time since admission, and sentence 

length). National weights were benchmarked to the adult 

inmate population (age 18 or older) by facility jurisdiction 

(prison or jail) and sex. 

The disability data from the 90% sample were not used due 

to bias. Respondents in the 90% sample who completed 

the disability module were less likely to report sexual 

victimization while incarcerated, less likely to report 

mental health problems, and less likely to speak English 

than inmates who did not receive or complete the disability 

module. These factors, particularly victimization and mental 

health status, are likely highly correlated with an inmate’s 

disability status and would introduce bias into the results. 

This report uses six questions to measure disability. 

The questions were modeled after the 2012 American 

Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Inmates could report more than one disability.

1. Hearing disability—Are you deaf or do you have 

serious difficulty hearing?

2. Vision disability—Are you blind or do you have 

serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses?

3. Cognitive disability—Because of a physical, mental, 

or emotional problem, do you have serious difficulty 

concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?

4. Ambulatory disability—Do you have serious 

difficulty walking or climbing stairs?

5. Self-care disability—Do you have difficulty dressing 

or bathing?

6. Independent living disability—Because of a physical, 

mental, or emotional problem, do you have difficulty 

doing activities on your own such as going to meal 

time, going outside, working in or outside of this 

facility, going to classes, or attending programs?

Limitations of these data and assumptions that cannot be 

made about incarcerated adults who self-report a disability 

include the following: 

 The etiology of an inmate’s disability is unknown. It might 

be congenital, genetic or biological, related to an illness or 

disease, or caused by something in the environment (i.e., 

a gunshot wound). The temporal relationship between the 

onset of the disability and the offense is also unknown. 

Therefore, it is inappropriate to make assumptions about 

whether or not a disability “caused” an inmate to commit 

an offense.

 The way in which the disability limits or impairs an 

inmate’s ability to function is unknown (e.g., daily struggles 

with many activities or occasional flare-ups only).

 Disability data were not verified against medical records 

or diagnostic information.

 Prevalence rates may be underestimated because some 

inmates with serious functional disabilities may have 

been unable to participate in the NIS-3 due to cognitive 

limitations that prevented them from fully understanding 

the informed consent procedures or the survey questions. 

In addition, some inmates with a particular disability 

(e.g., a hearing disability) may have had a harder time 

completing the survey than inmates who did not have 

a disability.
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 14

Appendix table

Demographic and offense characteristics of male veterans in prison and jail, by discharge era, 2011–12

Prison Jail

Pre-Vietnam era 

(1940–1963)

Vietnam era 

(1964–1973)*

Post-Vietnam era 

(1974–2000)

OEF/OIF/OND era 

(2001–2012)a Pre-Vietnam era (1940–1963)

Vietnam era 

(1964–1973)*

Post-Vietnam era 

(1974–2000)

OEF/OIF/OND era 

(2001–2012)a

Median age 74 years 62 years 49 years 30 years 73 years 62 years 48 years 28 years

Race/Hispanic origin 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Whiteb 78.9** 60.1 48.7** 50.4** 63.4 48.1 43.3 52.2

Black/African Americanb 6.7** 22.0 30.1** 18.3 ** 13.4** 32.6 35.9 23.2**

Hispanic/Latino 7.9 7.9 9.5 15.2 8.1 8.5 8.7 12.9

Otherb,c 0.6 1.9 1.8 3.5 0.0** 3.3 3.2 1.3

Two or more racesb 5.9 8.1 9.8 12.6 15.2 7.5 8.9 10.4

Marital status 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Never married 3.8** 10.1 22.7** 46.3** 13.1 14.9 26.0** 48.5**

Married 24.4 25.8 21.3 16.7** 21.8 23.7 22.7 21.9

Widowed 12.8 6.1 3.7 1.6** 37.9** 10.5 3.1** 0.9**

Divorced 58.2 53.4 46.9 28.8** 25.2 40.0 36.9 19.6**

Separated 0.8** 4.0 4.9 5.2 2.0** 10.9 10.9 8.8

Highest education level 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Less than high school diploma/GED 41.4 34.2 25.1 23.0** 35.0 26.3 21.0 15.6**

High school diploma/GED 13.3 20.6 20.7 18.1 19.5 21.5 26.5 29.3

Some college 17.0 25.8 34.1** 39.5** 29.5 28.4 35.4** 37.2**

College degree or higher 28.2 19.3 20.2 19.3 16.0 23.9 17.1** 17.9

Branch of serviced 103.3% 100.3% 103.3% 103.9% 90.1% 101.3% 103.8% 101.7% 

Air Force 17.7 7.7 8.6 10.5 20.0 11.9 8.3 7.9

Army 46.5 53.8 56.8 55.0 33.6** 58.5 55.8 54.9

Marine Corps 14.8 19.2 16.3 17.3 25.0 18.2 16.5 18.9

Navy 24.0 18.9 20.5 19.6 11.5 12.3 22.0** 19.0

Coast Guard 0.3 0.7 1.0 1.5 0.0 0.3 1.2 1.0

Most serious current offense 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Violent sexual 53.4 39.3 33.7 38.7 43.3** 15.6 10.6 11.5

Other violent 27.7 29.4 28.1 32.2 21.2 10.4 12.6 22.7**

Property 4.4 8.9 13.2** 11.2 3.4** 20.7 21.2 19.9

Drug 11.1 15.0 15.4 7.8** 8.6 22.5 18.5 16.3

DUI/DWI 0.8** 3.3 2.6 2.4 2.9** 12.3 9.2 6.2

Other 2.7 4.0 7.0** 7.8 20.5 18.5 27.8** 23.3

Length of sentence 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Unsentenced 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 52.4 53.9 53.6 57.5

Less than 1 year 0.0** 0.7 1.9** 2.9 19.8 17.7 23.6 20.6

1–4 years 11.1 14.0 16.0 27.2** 15.4 13.6 13.6 14.8

5–19 years 28.2** 42.1 42.9 47.5 12.4 14.1 8.6 6.0

20 years or more 30.6 23.9 22.3 17.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Life sentence 30.1 19.3 16.9 4.8** 0.0 0.7 0.5 0.7

Death sentence 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4

Estimated number of inmates 4,200 19,300 81,200 15,800 400 3,500 27,900 10,500

Note: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. For discharge era, date of last discharge was used to categorize veteran inmates. See appendix table 2 for standard errors.

*Comparison group.

**Difference with the comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level. 

aOEF/OIF/OND = Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn.

bExcludes persons who are Hispanic or Latino. 

cIncludes American Indian and Alaska Natives and Asian, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islanders.

dDetail exceeds total because inmates were allowed to select more than one response.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 15

Appendix table

Standard errors for appendix table 1: Demographic and offense characteristics of male veterans in prison and jail, by discharge era, 

2011–12

Prison Jail

Pre-Vietnam era 

(1940–1963)

Vietnam era 

(1964–1973)

Post-Vietnam era 

(1974–2000)

OEF/OIF/OND era 

(2001–2012)

Pre-Vietnam era 

(1940–1963)

Vietnam era 

(1964–1973)

Post-Vietnam era 

(1974–2000)

OEF/OIF/OND era 

(2001–2012)

Median age ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Race/Hispanic origin

White 5.4% 3.9% 1.6% 3.3% 12.7% 4.1% 2.1% 2.9% 

Black/African American 2.7 2.6 1.6 2.4 6.4 4.2 1.7 2.3

Hispanic/Latino 3.6 2.8 1.0 2.3 5.9 2.4 1.0 2.0

Other 0.6 0.6 0.4 1.2 ~ 1.4 0.7 0.4

Two or more races 2.6 1.7 0.9 2.2 13.2 2.1 0.8 1.3

Marital status

Never married 1.5% 1.5% 1.6% 2.9% 8.0% 2.7% 1.2% 2.6%

Married 4.3 2.7 1.3 2.3 9.0 3.7 1.4 1.9

Widowed 3.8 1.3 0.5 0.7 12.8 2.9 0.4 0.3

Divorced 4.7 3.3 1.8 2.6 8.9 4.3 1.5 1.9

Separated 0.8 1.0 0.6 1.4 2.0 3.0 1.1 1.4

Highest education level

Less than high school diploma/GED 4.6% 2.6% 1.1% 3.7% 11.4% 4.0% 1.1% 1.8% 

High school diploma/GED 3.6 3.1 1.3 2.1 7.4 3.1 1.4 2.7

Some college 4.3 3.0 1.4 3.5 12.8 3.2 1.7 2.2

College degree or higher 6.4 1.9 1.2 2.5 7.5 3.5 1.7 1.5

Branch of service

Air Force 5.0% 1.3% 0.8% 1.9% 9.5% 3.0% 0.8% 1.1%

Army 5.0 2.7 1.8 3.8 10.1 3.8 1.6 2.4

Marine Corps 4.2 2.4 1.0 2.4 13.1 3.0 1.0 1.9

Navy 6.6 2.0 1.4 2.8 5.7 2.7 1.2 2.2

Coast Guard 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.8 ~ 0.3 0.3 0.3

Most serious current offense

Violent sexual 9.0% 3.8% 2.3% 4.2% 11.9% 3.4% 0.9% 1.3%

Other violent 6.6 3.2 1.6 3.8 13.5 2.5 1.1 2.2

Property 2.7 2.0 1.1 2.0 2.1 4.8 1.4 1.8

Drug 5.0 3.8 1.5 1.7 7.0 3.6 1.2 2.0

DUI/DWI 0.6 0.9 0.5 0.8 2.8 3.1 1.0 1.3

Other 1.6 1.3 0.9 1.7 8.9 2.8 1.5 2.0

Length of sentence

Unsentenced ~ ~ ~ ~ 12.1% 4.4% 2.1% 2.5%

Less than 1 year ~ 0.3% 0.5% 1.2% 9.4 3.2 1.6 1.8

1–4 years 3.0% 2.0 1.5 3.3 8.5 2.7 1.2 1.9

5–19 years 4.3 3.8 2.2 3.9 7.7 4.4 0.9 0.9

20 years or more 6.6 3.0 2.3 3.2 ~ ~ ~ ~

Life sentence 6.8 3.1 1.7 1.4 ~ 0.4 0.2 0.4

Death sentence ~ ~ 0.0 ~ ~ ~ ~ 0.3

Estimated number of inmates 600 1,700 4,200 1,200 100 300 1,400 600

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 16

Appendix table

Standard errors for table 1: Veterans in prison and jail 

populations, 1978, 1985, 1998, 2004, and 2011–12

Prison Jail

Year Veterans Percent Veterans Percent

1978 2,100 1.2% 1,400 1.5%

1985 3,200 1.3 1,400 0.9

1998 3,800 1.3 2,600 1.2

2004 5,500 1.8 2,700 1.2

2011–12 8,200 1.8 2,700 1.4

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, 1996 and 

2002; Annual Survey of Jails, 1986, 1997, and 2004; Survey of Inmates in State and 

Federal Correctional Facilities, 1979, 1986, 1997, and 2004; National Jail Census, 

1978; Correctional Populations in the United States, 1985, 1998, 2004, and 2012; 

National Inmate Survey, 2011–12; Profile of Jail Inmates, 1978; and Veterans in 

Prison or Jail. 

Appendix table

Standard errors for table 3: Demographic characteristics of inmates in prison and jail, by veteran status, 2011–12

Prison Jail

Veterans Nonveterans Veterans Nonveterans

Characteristic Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Sex 8,200 ~ 73,700 ~ 2,700 ~ 27,800 ~

Male 8,200 0.2% 73,200 0.7% 2,700 0.4% 27,100 0.8%

Female 200 0.2 8,500 0.7 200 0.4 6,400 0.8

Age 5,000 ~ 40,400 ~ 1,700 ~ 14,400 ~

18–24 600 0.5% 13,100 0.8% 400 0.4% 7,400 0.4%

25–34 1,100 0.7 24,500 0.6 500 0.5 9,800 0.5

35–44 2,100 0.9 24,200 0.5 800 0.3 5,800 0.3

45–54 2,800 1.1 15,700 0.6 1,100 0.4 4,600 0.4

55–64 3,100 1.5 4,800 0.3 700 0.1 1,000 0.1

65 or older 1,200 0.7 1,400 0.1 200 0.1 300 0.1

Mean age 0.4 years 0.3 years 0.3 years 0.1 years

Race/Hispanic origin 6,300 ~ 52,300 ~ 1,900 ~ 19,700 ~

White 5,500 1.8% 22,100 1.1% 1,100 1.8% 8,400 1.2%

Black/African American 2,500 1.3 36,900 1.6 1,300 1.5 13,100 1.4

Hispanic/Latino 1,500 1.1 28,300 2.1 600 1.0 11,800 1.5

Other 400 0.3 3,000 0.2 300 0.5 1,300 0.2

Two or more races 1,000 0.7 8,500 0.4 400 0.7 2,200 0.2

Marital status 5,800 ~ 51,400 ~ 1,700 ~ 17,900 ~

Never married 1,800 1.3% 46,700 1.1% 1,100 1.0% 16,200 0.7%

Married 2,200 1.1 14,700 0.9 700 1.0 6,500 0.5

Widowed 700 0.5 1,300 0.1 200 0.4 500 0.1

Divorced 4,900 1.5 14,700 0.6 900 1.0 3,600 0.4

Separated 800 0.5 4,700 0.3 500 0.8 2,100 0.2

Highest level of education 4,100 ~ 21,200 ~ 1,600 ~ 8,900 ~

Less than high school

 diploma/GED 2,900 1.0% 45,100 0.9% 700 0.9% 14,500 0.7%

High school diploma/GED 2,000 1.0 16,200 0.6 900 1.2 6,900 0.4

Some college 2,900 1.3 13,000 0.5 1,000 1.1 5,200 0.4

College degree or higher 2,100 0.9 4,500 0.2 800 1.2 2,100 0.2

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 17

Appendix table

Standard errors for table 4: Current offense, sentencing, and criminal history characteristics of male inmates in prison, by 

veteran status, 2011–12

Percent of male prisoners

Estimated number of male prisoners Nonveterans

Veterans Nonveterans Veterans Standardized Unstandardized

Most serious current offense 6,200 45,500 ~ ~ ~

Violent sexual 5,000 20,000 2.4% 1.7% 1.2%

Other violent 2,600 30,500 1.6 1.5 1.4

Property 1,300 14,500 1.0 0.7 0.8

Drug 1,900 21,100 1.5 1.7 1.6

DUI/DWI 600 3,800 0.5 0.5 0.3

Other 1,100 8,300 0.8 0.4 0.5

Length of sentence 6,400 50,200 ~ ~ ~

Less than 1 year 500 6,100 0.4% 0.3% 0.5%

1–4 years 1,800 22,400 1.4 1.3 1.4

5–19 years 4,500 32,900 2.0 1.6 1.2

20 years or more 3,600 27,400 1.9 1.8 1.6

Life sentence 2,400 12,300 1.6 1.3 1.0

Death sentence 100 500 0.1 0.1 0.0

Number of prior arrests 5,200 45,000 ~ ~ ~

1 2,400 12,400 1.1% 0.8% 0.8%

2–3 3,600 25,900 1.2 1.0 0.7

4–10 2,500 32,300 1.0 0.9 0.8

11 or more 1,500 12,400 1.0 1.1 0.8

Prior incarceration 6,700 62,600 ~ ~ ~

Yes 6,100 60,800 1.2% 0.8% 0.7%

No 2,800 15,200 1.2 0.8 0.7

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 18

Appendix table

Standard errors for table 5: Current offense, sentencing, and criminal history characteristics of male inmates in jail, by veteran 

status, 2011–12

Percent of male jail inmates

Estimated number of male jail inmates Nonveterans

Veterans Nonveterans Veterans Standardized Unstandardized

Most serious current offense 1,500 12,900 ~ ~ ~

Violent sexual 400 1,600 0.8% 0.3% 0.2%

Other violent 700 6,100 1.0 0.6 0.6

Property 700 6,300 0.9 0.6 0.5

Drug 500 6,100 1.0 0.7 0.6

DUI/DWI 400 1,800 0.8 0.4 0.3

Other 800 6,800 1.1 0.6 0.6

Criminal justice status 2,200 20,300 ~ ~ ~

Sentenced 1,300 11,700 1.6% 1.0% 0.9% 

Unsentenced 1,800 16,600 1.6 1.0 0.9

Length of sentence 2,100 18,500 ~ ~ ~

Unsentenced 1,800 16,600 1.7% 1.0% 1.0% 

Less than 1 year 800 5,900 1.3 0.6 0.7

1–4 years 500 4,300 0.9 0.5 0.5

5 years or more 400 3,400 0.8 0.6 0.5

Life sentence 100 400 0.2 0.0 0.1

Death sentence 100 100 0.1 0.0 0.0

Number of prior arrests 1,800 15,200 ~ ~ ~

1 500 3,700 0.9% 0.3% 0.4%

2–3 800 7,700 1.0 0.5 0.4

4–10 1,300 10,600 1.2 0.6 0.5

11 or more 800 6,800 1.0 0.7 0.5

Prior incarceration 2,200 21,200 ~ ~ ~

Yes 1,900 19,600 1.1% 0.6% 0.4%

No 1,000 8,000 1.1 0.6 0.4

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 19

Appendix table

Standard errors for table 6: Military characteristics of male veterans in prison and jail, 2011–12

Veterans in prison Veterans in jail

Characteristic Number Percent Number Percent

Branch of service 5,700 ~ 1,900 ~

Air Force 1,200 0.6% 400 0.7%

Army 5,000 1.3 1,500 1.4

Marine Corps 1,700 0.9 700 0.9

Navy 1,700 0.9 800 1.0

Coast Guard 400 0.3 200 0.3

Combat experience 7,000 ~ 2,300 ~

None 6,700 1.2% 2,000 1.2%

Combat veteran 2,100 1.2 1,000 1.2

Combat by conflict 7,000 ~ 2,300 ~

World War II 300 0.9% 100 0.5%

Korea 400 1.1 100 0.5

Vietnam 1,300 2.7 400 1.7

Persian Gulf 800 1.9 300 1.8

Afghanistan 700 1.8 400 1.9

Iraq 1,000 2.5 400 2.3

Other 900 2.0 600 1.9

Type of discharge 7,900 ~ 2,500 ~

Honorable 4,000 1.5% 1,400 1.3%

General under honorable conditions 2,400 1.0 700 1.0

Other than honorable 2,000 1.1 500 0.8

Dishonorable/bad conduct 700 0.5 300 0.6

Other 700 0.5 300 0.5

Era of discharge 7,800 ~ 2,500 ~

Pre-Vietnam era (1940–1963) 800 0.5% 100 0.2%

Vietnam era (1964–1973) 2,200 1.3 400 0.7

Post-Vietnam era (1974–2000) 5,300 1.6 1,800 1.1

OEF/OIF/OND era (2001–2012) 1,300 0.9 700 1.2

Length of military service 8,000 ~ 2,700 ~

Less than 3 years 3,900 1.1% 1,300 1.1%

3 years to less than 5 years 2,600 0.9 1,000 1.1

5 years or more 2,300 0.9 800 1.0

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 20

Appendix table

Standard errors for table 7: Mental health characteristics reported by male inmates, by veteran status, 2011–12

Prison Jail

Veterans

Nonveterans

Veterans

Nonveterans

Standardized Unstandardized Standardized Unstandardized

Indicator of a current mental health problem

Past 30-day serious psychological distress 1.0% 0.6% 0.5% 1.3% 0.7% 0.5% 

Currently treated for a mental health problem 1.3% 1.2% 1.0% 1.3% 0.8% 0.7%

Taking prescription medication 1.2 1.1 0.9 1.2 0.8 0.7

Receiving counseling/therapy from a 

 trained professional 1.1 0.9 0.7 0.9 0.5 0.3

History of a mental health problem

Told by a mental health professional they 

 had a mental health disorder 1.6% 1.2% 1.2% 1.3% 0.8% 0.8%

Major depressive disorder 1.5 1.1 1.0 1.1 0.7 0.7

Bipolar disorder 1.1 0.9 0.8 1.1 0.6 0.6

Schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder 0.8 0.5 0.5 0.8 0.7 0.5

Post-traumatic stress disorder 1.2 0.6 0.5 1.3 0.6 0.4

Anxiety disorder 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.9 0.5 0.5

Personality disorder 1.1 0.6 0.5 0.8 0.5 0.3

Ever had an overnight hospital stay for 

 a mental health problem 1.2% 1.0% 0.8% 1.1% 0.7% 0.5%

Estimated number of inmates 5,000 40,400 40,400 1,700 14,400 14,400

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 
VETERANS IN PRISON AND JAIL, 2011–12 | DECEMBER 2015 21

Appendix table

Standard errors for table 8: Characteristics of veterans in prison and jail, by combat status, 2011–12

Prison Jail

Characteristic Combat experience No combat experience Combat experience No combat experience

Type of military discharge

Honorable 2.2% 1.7% 2.3% 1.6%

General under honorable conditions 1.8 1.2 1.4 1.3

Other than honorable 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.1

Dishonorable/bad conduct 0.8 0.6 0.8 0.7

Other 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8

Length of military service

Less than 3 years 1.8% 1.3% 1.5% 1.4%

3 years to less than 5 years 2.2 1.1 1.9 1.4

5 years or more 2.3 1.0 1.9 1.2

Era of discharge

Pre-Vietnam era (1940–1963) 0.5% 0.7% 0.2% 0.3%

Vietnam era (1964–1973) 2.1 1.5 1.1 0.8

Post-Vietnam era (1974–2000) 2.4 2.2 2.2 1.2

OEF/OIF/OND era (2001–2012) 3.0 0.8 2.2 1.3

Mental health status

No indicator of mental health problem 2.5% 1.9% 2.3% 1.4%

Current serious psychological distress 1.9 1.1 2.2 1.4

Post 30-day serious psychological distress 2.4 1.8 2.4 1.5

Most serious current offense

Violent sexual 2.9% 2.6% 1.3% 1.0%

Other violent 2.5 1.8 1.5 1.2

Property 1.4 1.2 1.6 1.1

Drug 1.9 1.7 1.4 1.2

Other 1.9 1.0 2.0 1.5

Estimated number of inmates 2,100 6,700 1,000 2,000

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 

Appendix table 

Standard errors for table 9: Estimated number of veterans in prison and jail reporting a disability, by veteran status, 2011–12

Prison Jail

Veterans

Nonveterans

Veterans

Nonveterans

Disability type Standardized Unstandardized Standardized Unstandardized

Hearing 2.2% 1.0% 0.6% 1.9% 1.3% 0.5%

Vision 3.2 1.4 0.7 2.1 1.1 0.7

Cognitive 2.3 2.0 0.8 2.9 1.4 0.6

Ambulatory 2.6 1.8 1.3 3.5 1.8 1.1

Self-care 1.1 0.6 0.3 1.9 0.8 0.3

Independent living 1.7 1.5 0.7 2.9 0.9 0.7

 Estimated number of inmates 128,700 1,212,300 1,212,300 43,800 582,900 582,900

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Inmate Survey, 2011–12. 
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NCJ249144

The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal 

federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal victimization, criminal 

offenders, victims of crime, correlates of crime, and the operation of criminal 

and civil justice systems at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. BJS collects, 

analyzes, and disseminates reliable and valid statistics on crime and justice 

systems in the United States, supports improvements to state and local criminal 

justice information systems, and participates with national and international 

organizations to develop and recommend national standards for justice statistics. 

William J. Sabol is director.

This report was written by Jennifer Bronson, E. Ann Carson, and Margaret 

Noonan, BJS Statisticians, and Marcus Berzofsky, RTI International. Zhen Zeng, 

BJS statistician, and Glynis Ewing, RTI International, verified the report.

Irene Cooperman and Jill Thomas edited the report. Barbara Quinn produced 

the report.

December 2015, NCJ 249144