Military and Crime: A Systematic Review of the Literature

ABSTRACT

This study systematically analyzed the literature on the effects of military participation on later criminal behavior. When all studies were analyzed as a whole, the findings did not indicate a clear effect. However, a focus upon specific offense types revealed that the military experience decreased non-violent crime but increased violent crime. Active military personnel tended to be less likely to commit crime. Some evidence demonstrated that male and non-white veterans committed more crime than their civilian counterparts, but future research is needed to replicate these subgroup differences. Theoretical implications and future research directions are also discussed.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yusuf Baktir

Yusuf Baktir, Ph.D. is a research fellow at the University of North Texas. He received his Ph.D. and MPA from the University of North Texas. His research focuses on machine learning applications to criminal and social behavior.

Mehmet Mustafa Icer

Mehmet Mustafa Icer, M.S. is a doctoral candidate of public administration at the University of North Texas. He received his B.S. from the Turkish Military Academy and his MPA from the University of North Texas. His research interests focus on resiliency of refugees and immigrants and economic studies of immigration.

Jessica Craig

Jessica M.Craig, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of criminal justice at the University of North Texas. She received both her M.S. and Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of Texas at Dallas. Her research interests include life-course/developmental criminology, delinquency, and juvenile justice. Some of her recent work has been published in the Journal of Criminal Justice, Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, and Crime & Delinquency.