INTERSECTIONS( Continued)
ADDRESSING BARRIERS IS CRITICAL TO SUCCESS
10. The Community Supervision Experience of Veterans
While it is estimated that approximately 107,400 veterans are incarcerated in either state or federal prison. To date, there is no comparable data for community supervision populations. Individuals who are identified as veterans may require different needs and services to be successful under supervision compared to civilians or non-veterans serving time under community supervision.
As a result, we are partnering with Veterans Affairs to conduct a first-of-its-kind study on the intersection of armed service experience and community supervision. This project uses the Veteran Re-entry Search Service( VRSS) to identify and analyze individuals eligible for veteran services and to gain insights into the veteran supervision experience.
A manual comparison of DCS self-report data and VRSS data revealed a 75 % difference between those who self-report as veterans and those identified by VRSS as potentially eligible for VA services. Thus, it is important to consider supervisees who are labeled as veterans to better understand and examine their experiences with community supervision.
As a result, this research focuses on the following: 1) What is the proportion of Veterans under community supervision in Georgia?; 2) Of Veterans under community supervision, how many have contact with the Veterans Justice Programs?; 3) Of Veterans under community supervision, how many use VHA for any services?; and 4) What proportion of Veterans under supervision recidivate?
Research Partner: Andrea Finlay, Veterans Affairs
DCS FY25 Research Agenda Page 9