Professor Seamon’s book is an inspired work that details the unique needs of veterans in all stages of the criminal justice-system and argues that flexibly implemented veteran specific programs improve both individual veterans’ and community outcomes.
To build his argument, Seamone provides education on historical context, military culture, shifting federal and military policies, theoretical underpinnings of justice systems, detailed case-studies, empirical evidence, and anecdotes, alongside discussion of specific mental health concerns of criminally involved veterans. He also provides a disclaimer that the book is not intended to paint all veterans as “disordered” or “victims” and sets a tone from book dedication to ending quote of compassion and advocacy, while remaining grounded in rational analysis, historical perspective, and practical experience.
Professor Seamone’s book is well organized and referenced meticulously with helpful articles, books, and websites, and many chapters are followed with appendices with specific, implementable measures and tools, such as screening instruments for PTSD and resilience. Each chapter builds on the thesis but also stands alone as a contribution to the field as a whole.
The book contains ten chapters:
Components of Veterans’ Readjustment
Military Discipline and Military Discharge: A Different Concept of Punishment Compared with the Civilian Justice System
Veteran Crime Waves, Whacko Vets, and Other Stereotypes: The Relationship Between Military Service and Crime
Criminal Manifestations of Military Service, War Zone Deployment, and Combat Trauma
Gratitude with Limitations: A Summary of Veterans’ Benefits and Outreach During Incarceration
Problem-Solving Justice: Popular Approaches to Divert Veterans from Confinement
Basic Attributes of Veterans’ Groups in Confined Settings
Institutionally Based Programs for Veterans
Veteran Dorms: “Purpose-Driven Incarceration” as the Counterpart to Problem-Solving Veterans Courts
Concluding Remarks: Urgency in Preparation for the Coming “Storm” of Veteran Offenders
Chapter One begins with a discussion of the 2017 Kurta Memorandum, which is remarkable in its recognition of the potential tie between traumatizing events during military service and veterans’ subsequent involvement with criminal courts. The chapter proceeds to review “salient aspects of military culture” that may predispose or perpetuate a veteran’s criminal offenses and ends with an overview of the book’s structure.
Chapters Three and Four focus on the relationship between military service and crime and assist in understanding the unique stressors and stigma of veterans in the legal system. Here, Seamone addresses the myth of the “whacko” or “violent” veteran, survivor guilt, the impact of combat stressors, and maladaptive coping through substance use upon reentry, sex, and criminal domestic battery.
Chapter Five provides significant historical perspective on the Veterans Administration benefits and outreach afforded to incarcerated veterans, as well as the limitations of the resources available to them. Innovations and developments such as the Veterans Reentry Search Service (VRSS) are notable for allowing participating prisons and jails to verify veteran status of inmates to facilitate engagement with available services.
Chapters Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine transition to a focus on past and present attempts at problem-solving approaches to criminal justice, that is, as the author states, “theories (that) espouse the idea that it benefits society and the individual more to stop the revolving doors of recidivism and focus on root causes of criminality” (p 143). As the preceding chapters described specific concerns facing the criminally involved veteran, these chapters transition to focus on veteran treatment courts, veteran groups, institutional programs for veterans, and veteran specific dormitories in jails and prisons as approaches to address veterans’ distinct treatment needs.
Chapter Ten ends with the author advocating for action toward development of programs tailored to veterans’ needs based on a public safety argument.
With an extensive legal, military, and academic background, Seamone brings a unique perspective to the subject. This book is for anyone who has or will work with veterans “deployed” in the criminal justice system and applies to those working with veterans throughout the military lifecycle. In particular, forensic psychiatrists working in corrections will find this an invaluable resource for developing and delivering care that is more informed and mindful of needs unique to justice-involved veterans. The book is also relevant to forensic psychiatrists performing evaluations of veterans in criminal proceedings and provides relevant data and context to military mitigating factors, especially those resulting from combat exposure and the “hidden wounds” caused by PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.
Footnotes
Disclosures of financial or other potential conflicts of interest: None.
- © 2022 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
