Veterans behind bars: an empirical analysis of a master status in county jail

As the United States has officially withdrawn American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, the number of military service personnel returning from combat operations continues to increase. Previous research finds that many veterans returning from tours of duty report psychological and neurological injuries, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and other psychiatric disorders. Consequently, many veterans are impacting the criminal justice system. However, limited research has investigated the degree to which veteran status or inmates with prior military service effects the institutional subculture. This thesis empirically tests Hughes (1945) and Becker’s (1963) master status concept hypothesizing that inmates with previous military service retain their veteran status, moderating the social hierarchy of the incarcerated environment. Using data collected from jail housing classification reports from 2012 through 2013, findings revealed veteran status was positively correlated with gang membership but not correlated with gang victimization.