Hero to zero? Navigating and negotiating the harms of criminalisation as a ‘veteran offender’

Wilkinson, Hannah

Abstract

This article offers an original insight into the experiences of former military personnel navigating life after criminalisation in a time of austerity. Drawing on case studies of in-depth narrative and visual interview data with two ‘veteran offenders’, the article draws attention to a complex ‘dance of disclosure’ around military service and criminal records. The article demonstrates how the complexity of the pains of criminalisation can make (re-)finding a sense of purpose and self-worth difficult for former military personnel who must continually decide whether to disclose or obscure their military past, depending on the criminal punishment context. This critical analysis makes visible a potential continuum of state harm for those criminalised and managed as ‘veteran offenders’.

Citation

Wilkinson, H. (2022). Hero to zero? Navigating and negotiating the harms of criminalisation as a ‘veteran offender’. Probation Journal, 69(3), 318-336. https://doi.org/10.1177/02645505221095069

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 10, 2022
• Online Publication Date: May 9, 2022
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jul 22, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 21, 2024
• Journal: Probation Journal
• Print ISSN: 0264-5505
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-3079
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 69
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 318-336
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/02645505221095069
• Keywords: veteran offenders, criminal records, social harm, stigma, resettlement, military to civilian transitions
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/37427725
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/02645505221095069