Award Date

5-1-2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Sociology

First Committee Member

Michael Borer

Second Committee Member

Robert Futrell

Third Committee Member

Barbara Brents

Fourth Committee Member

Tamara Herold

Number of Pages

380

Abstract

The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 25 combat-experienced Veterans of the Global War on Terror who fit an operational definition of successful resocialization. How do successfully resocialized combat Veterans compare with combat Veterans who became involved with the criminal justice system? Utilizing a snowball method to identify each participant, the most significant finding from these interviews was that two factors seem to differentiate the civilian and military group styles the most, which were the overwhelming importance of purpose and tribe in the lives of combat Veterans. This confirmed the hypothesis that the most significant difference between the civilian and military cultures is the group style.All the Veterans interviewed for this study said that they drastically reduced their alcohol consumption after their active-duty service ended, compared to increased consumption reported by a comparison group of combat Veteran criminal defendants. Veterans who left the military over the age of 25 experienced smoother transitions than those who entered and left the military at younger ages. A logic model of Veteran crime is proposed that warrants further research to verify or nullify the theory. This study preliminarily found support for the theory that poverty and cultural misalignment are the primary drivers of crime within the Veteran community. At the philosophical level, this study challenges the ethics of war itself. The best possible way to address resocialization of combat Veterans is to avoid creating combat Veterans in the first place.

Keywords

Combat; Crime; Military; Reintegration; Veteran; War

Disciplines

Criminology | Criminology and Criminal Justice | Social and Cultural Anthropology | Sociology

File Format

pdf

File Size

2100 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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