Official: 2,500 ex-servicemen are in prison
Nearly 2,500 ex-servicemen are in prison in England and Wales, official figures show for the first time.
The news comes amid fears that the number could rise as troops quit the forces with post-traumatic stress after serving in Iraq or Afghanistan and then find themselves getting into trouble with the police.
Maria Eagle, a justice minister, told MPs that three per cent - nearly 2,500 prisoners - had served in the armed forces.
The count of the prison population - which was carried out in November - is the first time ever that the Government has attempted to understand how many former members of the armed forces are in jail.
Officials were able to complete the count by matching all the 81,000 prisoners aged over-18 in England and Wales with a database of more than one million veterans held by the Ministry of Defence.
A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour. Once described as "The Devilish Advocate" (Guardian), I do have the ability to provoke a response. Sometimes it comes from someone who uses a thought process, and sometimes from jerks usually associated with the knee.
Ah, I think that figure has been massaged down. It doesn't include ex-squaddie screws. What would it be then?
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