Winston Churchill described Russia as: ‘a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma’ – and for our usage Veterans In Prison (VIP) describe this Governments approach to the high numbers of ex-soldiers in the prison population similarly as: ‘a cover up wrapped in a deception inside spin’!
First and foremost the British public naturally assume that the integrity of a survey will be genuine and the data authentic when published – particularly when carried out by sanctioned representatives. Unfortunately though no-one seems to have told the nation at large that the first thing to be sacrificed in war is the truth – and the adage ‘he who pays the piper’ is a classic example of how the truth can be twisted in a recent survey commissioned by the Government into the high numbers of ex-soldiers in the prison population!
Hence VIP believe that this survey was a whitewash from the start and designed only to ‘go through the motions’ of a survey as statistics can be easily manipulated – more so when the study team deliberately and selectively did not bother to check or consult the actual statistics themselves such as the veterans inside the prison system. Subsequently the survey missed fundamental and vital facts like ‘who’ is an ex-soldier and most likely to be in the prison population because of behavioural problems related to their military service experiences in wars/conflicts – who should have their actions re-examined in the context of what we now know about combat related PTSD. However and unbelievably the reality is that this mental disorder is not even considered in troops/veterans rehabilitation programmes inside the prison system – as combat related PTSD does not fit into the Prison Service’s Offending Behaviour programmes. Furthermore the conclusion of the study did not provide essential information – or come up with any configuration or accurate figures of how the three Armed Services parade themselves in this prison census. The survey only estimated ‘overall’ numbers of ex-service personnel in the prison population and placed them all under one banner – in attempt to purposely undermine and dissipate the fact that there is a “huge mountain of ex-soldiers in the prison population” proving that the engine driving this survey was fuelled by profit and not responsibility!
The survey (which was not very thorough in the first place) took around six months to complete – and had a ‘bullshit baffles brains’ mentality from the very beginning with the survey team boastfully announcing that they had access to the Police National Computer and Ministry of Justice databases? This statement in itself was a ‘red herring and most certainly put up as a smoke screen’ to make it seem as if these facilities actually had some useful contribution to the study – but up until recently the Police and Justice databases did not have any information whatsoever on ex-soldiers in the prison population and no credible way of getting this data either!
For example: when people are first arrested for a crime the Police and Ministry of Justice records only show ‘what employment the said person was doing when arrested’ (this practice has been continuous since records began). Besides the “Police and Justice Departments are not ‘Employment Agencies’ - their job is protecting the public by solving and ensuing convictions for crimes”. So unless a person was actually seen driving a Challenger Tank down the road or was running around the streets carrying a SA 80 assault rifle and dressed in combat fatigues when arrested – the Police or Justice departments did not have the faintest idea who is a former soldier and who isn’t!
However when VIP send copies of our Veterans (and their families) Survival Guide to Combat related PTSD to troops/veterans inside the prison system (free of charge) – we ask for their Service Number/ Rank/ Regiment and dates of Service in wars/conflicts which ‘hey presto’ presents us with a real live genuine combat veteran. Consequently to date the VIP survey which actually discovered the ‘hidden mountain of ex.-soldiers’ in the first place is the most accurate and factual report of ex-soldiers in the prison population – given that all we had to do was count the numbers of veterans around us and ask them for their details (something which Government Officials are incapable of doing)!
Its also a national scandal that thee has been no sense of accountability with this problem of continually prosecuting high numbers of ex-soldiers in the Criminal Justice system – incredibly and as long as the problem stayed hidden and out of sight behind prison walls no-one in authority was in the least bit interested! But how can it possibly be right to lock away troops/veterans who have served in wars/conflicts without checking them for mental disorders such as combat related PTSD and consequently failing to provide this evidence in their defence – yet he courts determinedly use the full strength of the law on them when found guilty. Surely this is not interpreting the law correctly and it also makes a mockery out of the whole Criminal Justice system – especially if the vast majority of these troops/veterans are unknowingly suffering combat related PTSD due to their Service to their Country?
Nonetheless on a more chilling note and a dire warning to these so-called Government experts on combat related PTSD who have still not yet realised – because they have not bothered to inform troops/veterans (and their families) of the enormity of these high numbers of ex-soldiers in the prison population. That the ripple effects of combat related PTSD are tragically extraordinary – and consequently a high percentage of troops/veterans children will also end up inside Young Offenders Institutions (prisons)!
VIP are convinced that seeing how this Governments policy knows no bounds in the underhanded way it has already ill equipped our front line troops to fight wars/conflicts – or has shamelessly (through the courts) tried to slash the compensation payments of severely disabled veterans. Then covering up the factor that thousands of unknowingly mentally wounded ex-soldiers are in the prison population (and their children likely to follow) by using this spin written survey to keep this ongoing tragedy hidden – certainly holds no limits for them!
Footnote: VIP wrote the above article weeks ago and has been wondering what nonsense the survey team would come up with in their findings – because they dare not tell the truth? Today (12/01/2010) VIP received news that the survey had failed to complete its task – the Ministry of Justice appallingly only had 2,500 ex-servicemen on its database (VIP already explained the bullshit baffles brains technology of the Ministry of Justice before the survey team started). The incompetence of these so called Government experts is mind boggling and also a disgrace – because the sad and sorry plight of troops/veterans (and their families) lives being needlessly destroyed by combat related PTSD is scandalous especially when it can be prevented!
