Focus On: Armed Forces Charities in the Criminal Justice System
Abstract: The majority of Service personnel make a successful transition to civilian life when their military service ends. For some, the transition from Service to civilian life is challenging and a relatively small number of individuals find themselves in contact with the criminal justice system. This report explores the support available from armed forces charities for such individuals and their families. FiMT has projected the annual cost of ‘poor transition’ in 2020 from criminal justice issues to be in the region of £4.3 million (£4.0 million in prison costs and £0.3 million in criminal offence costs) (FiMT, 2017). The purpose of this report is to hold up an objective mirror to the armed forces charity sector and, for the first time, provide an account of the criminal justice support offered by such charities. To that end DSC devised the following research questions: - How many armed forces charities support individuals and their families in the criminal justice system? - How is criminal justice support delivered to beneficiaries? - What examples of collaboration, evaluation and challenges exist? This report is intended as a resource for those who work in the armed forces charity sector, along with policymakers, the media, government bodies and interested members of the public.
Abstract: Introduction: Persistent inequities exist in obstetric and neonatal outcomes in military families despite universal health care coverage. Though the exact underlying cause has not been identified, social determinants of health may uniquely impact military families. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively investigate the potential impact of social determinants of health and the lived experiences of military individuals seeking maternity care in the Military Health System. Materials and methods: This was an Institutional Review Board-approved protocol. Nine providers conducted 31 semi-structured interviews with individuals who delivered within the last 5 years in the direct or purchased care market. Participants were recruited through social media blasts and clinic flyers with both maximum variation and homogenous sampling to ensure participation of diverse individuals. Data were coded and themes were identified using inductive qualitative research methods. Results: Three main themes were identified: Requirements of Military Life (with subthemes of pregnancy notification and privacy during care, role of pregnancy instructions and policies, and role of command support), Sociocultural Aspects of the Military Experience (with subthemes of pregnancy as a burden on colleagues and a career detractor, postpartum adjustment, balancing personal and professional requirements, pregnancy timing and parenting challenges, and importance of friendship and camaraderie in pregnancy), and Navigating the Healthcare Experience (including subthemes of transfer between military and civilian care and TRICARE challenges, perception of military care as inferior to civilian, and remote duty stations and international care). Conclusions: The unique stressors of military life act synergistically with the existing health care challenges, presenting opportunities for improvements in care. Such opportunities may include increased consistency of policies across services and commands. Increased access to group prenatal care and support groups, and increased assistance with navigating the health care system to improve care transitions were frequently requested changes by participants.