Descriptive Trajectories of Life-Course Deviance for Justice-Involved Veterans

Despite a breadth of research linking military service to positive and negative life-course outcomes, questions remain about the contextual relationship between military service and deviance across the life-course. Employing a life-course perspective using qualitative life-course interviews, the current study explores life-course deviance of 90 justice-involved veterans by investigating deviance before, during, and after military service. Findings show four distinct trajectories of deviance in which pathways of deviant behavior vary for these justice-involved veterans. In the current study, thematic analysis from descriptive content explores the contextual underpinnings of how the military may influence these trajectories. Findings build upon previous literature examining military service as a turning point, garnering evidence for both a positive and negative relationship between military service and deviance.