Transition back into civilian life: a study of personnel leaving the U.K. armed forces via "military prison"

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors associated with poor outcomes for personnel leaving the United Kingdom Armed Forces early. We studied a population thought to be at high risk of poor outcomes: those leaving the Services early via the United Kingdom Military Corrective Training Centre. Participants were interviewed 1 week before leaving (predischarge) and followed up 6 months later. One hundred eleven participants completed predischarge interviews. Seventy-four (67%) were successfully followed up and interviewed 6 months later. Thirty-eight of those followed up (56%) were classed as being disadvantaged after leaving. Being disadvantaged at follow-up was associated with: having predischarge mental health problems, receiving an administrative discharge, or having a short sentence length. Factors associated with poor outcomes on leaving were often interrelated, making causal relationships complex. However, this study does provide a basis from which to identify, at the point of discharge, those most at risk of further disadvantage.