From Soldiers to Staff Members: An Examination of Veteran Status Across Occupational Outcomes Within the Prison Context

Abstract

Some prison systems across the United States actively recruit veterans of the Armed Forces based on the idea that prior military experience is an asset for prison work—a presupposition that has yet to be empirically validated. We examined whether military experience is relevant in explaining variation in occupational outcomes in a statewide random sample of prison staff in Kentucky. Results from a structural equation model (confirmatory factor analysis and multivariate regression with latent constructs of job outcomes) suggest more similarities than differences between veteran and nonveteran prison staff—a finding that also applies across veterans with different military backgrounds (based on branch of service, years served, injuries sustained during service, etc.). Implications for theory and policy are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.