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’!
For example: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) recently announced that they have completed the most comprehensive study to date (10/01/2010) of Armed Forces veterans in prison. The study was carried out by the Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) arm of the MoD – it found that the MoJ database only had 2.7% (2,500) veteran offenders in the prison population. Veterans Minister Kevan Jones said: “this study gives a full picture of how many veterans are in the prison population for the first time”.
VIP say: “we don’t believe in miracles and these figures of 2,500 veterans in the prison population are a total sham” – a figure which the DASA suitably found on a failed and flawed database and also a classic example of how statistics can be easily manipulated with the adage ‘he who pays the piper’. The truth and accuracy of this survey was also ‘covered up’ with the Veterans Minister’s words of ‘spin’ – and his failing to mention that this was actually the fourth study by thus Government into this problem. As for instance in 2001, 2003, and 2004 the Home Office (then MoJ) carried out surveys into the numbers of veterans in prison – which came up with numbers of 6%, 4% and 5% respectively. Astonishingly since those survey findings were announced the Prison population has soared to their highest levels since records began – and these new MoD figures seriously underestimate all those previous Government survey findings by at least 50 percent!
This amazing transformation of even slashing their own figures shows the sheer desperation tactics which the Government are now using to prevent the true facts and figures of veterans in prison being revealed – hence VIP believe that this study was a whitewash from the start and designed only to ‘go through the motions’ of a survey. This can be confirmed when you realise that DASA study team deliberately did not bother to check or consult the actual statistics themselves – the veterans inside the prison population. As 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 them to fill in a simple questionnaire with their Service Number/ Rank/ Regiment and dates of Service in wars/conflicts and ‘hey presto’ presents us with a real live genuine veteran. Accordingly the VIP survey (which actually discovered the ‘hidden mountain of ex.-soldiers’ in the prison population) - is the most accurate and factual report of veterans in the prison population to date. 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!
Shamefully over the years the UK Criminal Justice system has cheated many thousands of troops/veterans out of a ’fair and just’ trial – since the moment these troops/veterans were charged with a crime no-one bothered to check if they were unknowingly suffering combat related PTSD. It is also a national scandal that there has been no sense of accountability with this problem of continually prosecuting high numbers of ex-soldiers in the British Criminal Justice system – surely someone in authority should have recognised this problem of large numbers of ex-soldiers frequently appearing before the courts? 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 not provide this evidence in their defence – these troops/veterans are being blatantly misrepresented by the courts who are using the full strength of the law on them when they are found guilty. Unquestionably this is not interpreting the law correctly and is making 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!
The American authorities have openly admitted that criminal prosecutions of their troops/veterans who have returned from Service in Iraq and Afghanistan have ‘shot up’ – crimes which include murder, rape, armed robbery and assault. However looking at the UK picture (as in election year) and the fact that also since New Labour came into power they have committed British troops into more wars/conflicts than any other government in history – it is no wonder that this Government/MoD survey has suddenly come out with figures that ‘halve’ their own previous findings and make it seem that more wars/conflicts are good for reducing troop/veteran levels in the prison population.
Nevertheless on a more chilling note and a dire warning to these so-called Government experts on combat related PTSD and survey administrators who have still not yet realised the enormity of having 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 can’t believe that the Government don’t know anything about this problem either – because so far they have kept this next up and coming catastrophe hidden from the general population as well!
Footnote: 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 – and 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 surveys to keep this ongoing tragedy hidden behind prison walls – certainly holds no limits for them!
