DOI: 10.3886/icpsr37489.v1
title: Exploring Life-Course and Daily Experiences of Veteran Offenders in the Criminal Justice System, Illinois, 2017-2019
title: Version 1

description: This study explored the life-course experiences of criminally involved veterans. The topics of maladaptive behavior patterns, criminal conduct, diverging demographic and social statuses, impacts of mental illness, social support, substance use, propensity for criminal involvement before entering the military, and combat exposure, of the veterans were explored. The project aimed to uncover common links to problematic life-course outcomes thematically shared across cohorts of criminally involved veterans and/or differences between cohorts of veterans resulting in unique needs across the life-course.
This study included three aims of analysis:

To explore the life-course experiences of veterans who are in the criminal justice system by assessing the perspectives of this particularly important group - those under the control of the criminal justice system, but also navigating their problems while living in the community.
To document the ecological momentary day-to-day experience of these individuals, in order to better understand how experience shapes normative daily behavior, mood fluctuation, self-esteem, and psychological well-being.
To explore the relationships of these individuals tapping into the perspectives of family/social networks members who are closest to the criminally involved veterans to better understand how deviance impacts family and social support systems - in addition to considering the complex dynamics of these relationships.
Users should note that this study included interviews, provided in qualitative transcripts. The associated qualitative data is currently not included in this release, but will be provided at a later date.
description: The purpose of the study was to explore the life-course experiences of veterans who are in the criminal justice system, to document the ecological momentary day-to-day experience of these individuals, and to explore the relationships of these individuals relating to the perspectives of family/social networks members who are closest to criminally involved veterans.
description: The project consisted of three different tracts.
Tract one was an initial qualitative interview completed with criminally involved veteran participants. After each participant agreed to be a part of the study, the researcher would then set up a time to meet in person with the individual. The interviews generally lasted from 1.5 hours to 4.5 hours in length. The PI completed all interviews and all participants consented to be audio recorded. At the conclusion of the interview each participant was provided with a $20 gift card as a thank you for the burden on their time. All interviews were transcribed by graduate research assistants working on the project, and the transcripts were doublechecked for accuracy.
For tract two, at the end of each qualitative life-course interview, participants who met criteria were provided a flyer with information to participate in tract two of the study. The goal was to better understand the ecological moment-to-moment fluctuations in experience and mood for criminally involved veterans / veterans who had previous criminal involvement with significant mental health issues in "real world" settings as the participants went about an average week in their lives. In order to be eligible for tract two, the following requirements were to be met:

The participant must have been currently active on a community corrections caseload (could not have completed their criminal justice sentence), or if they had completed their sentence, they needed to be living with significant mental illness that impacted their lives.
The participant needed to be living in the community during their survey week and could not be residing in a long-term inpatient treatment facility at the time.
The third tract of the project consisted of completing interviews with social support / networks of the original criminally involved veteran participants. Each of the criminally involved veteran participants who completed an initial interview was also provided with a flyer that invited someone they were particularly close to (a spouse/significant other, relative, or close friend) to complete a qualitative interview with the researcher. These interviews conducted throughout the state of Illinois lasted one to two hours and discussed the social support's views on the criminally involved veteran's military experience, life-course issues, and criminal justice involvement, as well as the relationship between the veteran and the social support. Interviews were conducted in the same format as those with the criminally involved veterans.
Users should note that the qualitative data mentioned above is not included in the current release. It will be released at a later date.
description: For the Experience Sampling Method Data (DS1) the variables included information regarding lifestyle routines (number of hours slept, number of meals eaten, number times of showering, number of times brushing teeth) and emotional wellbeing (thought processes, various emotional responses at different points throughout the day).
description: For tract one, probation and parole officers in several counties throughout Illinois were asked to provide flyers to individuals on their caseloads who were veterans. Interested individuals called research staff in order to hear more about the study. Overall, 80 qualitative life experience interviews were completed.
For tract two, participants who were currently on probation or parole and/or suffering from PTSD, and not currently seeking inpatient treatment were then invited to complete a second part of the study where they were contacted 50 times in a single week between the hours of 8am and 10pm to fill out ecological monetary assessments each time they were contacted. Criminally involved veterans, 36 in total, completed this portion of the study.
For tract three, at the end of each interview veterans were provided a flyer to give to any family members or social networks that might be interested in being interviewed. This resulted in 14 individuals completing qualitative social support / social network interviews for the study.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Experience Sampling Method Data
DS2: Veteran Life Experience Interview Data
DS3: Social Network Interview Data
description: Criminally involved veterans of the United States military.
description: face-to-face interview; paper and pencil interview (PAPI)