Former military service personal comprise approximately 5% of the total prison population of England and Wales. When imprisoned, they are in the unusual position of having already experienced life within a Total Institution and may find familiarity in the male-dominated, structured, hierarchical and regimented regime of the prison.
Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews conducted in five prison establishments, the study on which this paper is based explores the views, attitudes and experiences of approximately 40 former military service personnel serving prison sentences in England. In particular, it analyses how former military prisoners cope with imprisonment, how they build and maintain relationships with other prisoners and staff and how they perceive the power, authority and legitimacy of the state, all as they negotiate diminished social status and conflicting identities.
This paper will present findings from this study which suggest that ex-military prisoners often retain a military identity, carried from the military through to civilian and eventually prison life. This includes a set of cultural norms, values and beliefs, or a “military mind-set”, that tends to promote self-control, self-restraint and an ability to cope with physical and mental hardships, thereby promoting compliance with the prison regime and assisting prisoners to cope with prison life. The findings discussed in this paper could have important implications for the management and rehabilitation of ex-military prisoners.