‘I believe that the UK authorities could be in PTSD denial’
He describes how the US does it better
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) A psychological and physical condition caused by frightening or distressing events. It occurs in up to thirty per cent of people who experience traumatic events. (from the NHS Choices website) Recently I travelled to the United States as part of a delegation sponsored by the Howard League for Penal Reform. We are currently researching the issue of why so many ex-servicemen and women end up in prison. What can be done to lessen the trend and what can be initiated to assist those already in the prison system? I was intrigued to read on our itinerary that we were to visit a veterans’ court, which is run by a charismatic and hugely influential district judge, Robert T Russell. I witnessed firsthand the workings of this court to which offenders were referred by other courts. I spent a half day witnessing his court.
The offenders were people who had been charged with offences for which they could expect a gaol sentence of twelve to eighteen months. They were all ex-servicemen and women back from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. There were also some ex-Vietnam veterans. Each was assigned an ex-service person who volunteered to act as a mentor. These mentors were also able to speak the same language as the offender and bonds formed fairly quickly.
The offender is taken to the court and reports are produced about him or her. He or she is then required to appear every three weeks or so before the judge to give an update on his/her progress back towards full integration into the community. A drug test is taken every fortnight to ensure that the offender remains ‘clean and sober’. I noticed that the offenders had respect for the judge but I could also sense that they were very grateful for his oversight of them. The oversight was not uncritical and the judge could be as tough as necessary when the need arose.
On the day I visited one of those before the court had come to a successful conclusion of his twelve- month programme. He was given a certificate, a small medal and a glowing character reference. Additionally, the charges against him were wiped clean. The judge gave a short address congratulating him and he responded with a confident and heartfelt speech of thanks. Seeing the mentor in court affected by emotion was strange and touching.
This court has been in operation for some years seeing thousands of offenders through and back into mainstream society. Over the last three years there has been close monitoring and the re-offending rate is an incredible zero per cent!
I reflected on it and thought that, in some ways, it was rather like the old probation service who were there to ‘advise and befriend’ and had the time to talk regularly with offenders.
Sadly, today a probation officer is lucky if he or she can have a ten-minute conversation with an offender in a week and that is a huge problem given unrealistic caseloads in many probation areas.
We had several valuable briefings at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington. Every serviceperson is tested for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) on discharge and there are a range of generous benefits available to veterans. There is help with housing, finding work, free health cover and so on for those suffering from PTSD.
Roughly nine per cent of veterans end up in the prison system – around the same number that the National Association of Probation Officers believes to be the case in England and Wales. In the United States however, the Department of Veterans Affairs assesses that between thirty and thirty-five per cent of ex-servicemen and women return suffering from PTSD and TBI. This is dismissed out of hand in the UK where military and government authorities believe the figure to be minimal. I believe that the UK authorities could be in PTSD denial and time will tell.
On the final day we went to the Jessop Correctional Institution in Maryland where we met with thirty inmates who had formed a veterans group. I chaired a meeting and found that many of the things they were saying were similar to the evidence taken from ex-service people who got involved with crime in England and Wales. Typically, they are leaving a highly structured military environment and have little or no support outside. As they have been at Jessop, they get no help to find work, no help to find housing, no help with debt management or substance abuse and so on. One person spoke eloquently – he was an ex-Vietnam veteran who had served 30 years without huge bitterness. During his time in prison he had studied law and he put the case for the inmates with clarity and precision.
Returning home I was tired but also excited at what I had experienced. I hope some of this good practice can be included in our report to government.
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