NCJ Number
241577
Date Published
January 2013
Length
40 pages
Annotation
Using Australia's Vietnam-era conscription lotteries for the identification and criminal court data from Australia's three largest States, this study estimated the effect of army training for warfare on subsequent known violent crime in civilian life by soldiers who received this training.
Abstract
The study did not find any evidence that military training for warfare was significantly linked to subsequent violent crime in civilian life. Using only non-deployed cohorts, researchers ruled out with 95-percent confidence any positive violent crime effects larger than 3.6 percent relative to the mean. Researchers hypothesize that the positive aspects of military training - such as teamwork, respect for authority, and self-discipline may offset any potential negative effects of training for warfare; however, since combat is the most intense form of military service, the researchers argue that the effect of military service on violent crime remains an open question. Because the number of people who receive military training is far greater than the number who experience actual combat, the potential importance of the training mechanism may be greater than that of combat. The study findings cannot rule out the effects on violent crime that may occur shortly after army service, but there is no evidence of substantial long-lasting violent behavioral effects. 7 figures, 6 tables, and 78 references