title: Altering the life course: Military service and contact with the criminal justice system.
abstract: Using data taken from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we examine the relationship between military service and contact with the criminal justice system. Drawing on the life course concept of a turning point, we show that military service does little to affect the risk of being arrested or being convicted of crimes involving violence or destructive behavior, while at the same time significantly reducing the risk of being arrested or being convicted of non-violent crimes. We find no evidence that service in a combat zone alters these relationships. Our results demonstrate how participation in a large-scale institution can serve as a turning point, altering the life course trajectories of young persons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9081, United States. Electronic address: Jay.Teachman@wwu.edu.
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Teachman
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9081, United States.
authors.forename: Lucky
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tedrow
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D003415:Crime; D003416:Criminal Law; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel; D012306:Risk; D014754:Violence
keywords: Crime; Delinquency; Military service; Veterans