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Total-cause and cause-specific mortality among U.S. criminal justice-involved veterans: associated risk and protective factors

Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background This study examined rates and correlates of mortality among criminal justice-involved veterans (JIVs), who are a group of public health concern in the U.S. Methods Using data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) between January 2014 and December 2018, a retrospective cohort study was conducted to examine mortality rates, underlying causes of death (UCD), and correlates of all-cause mortality among 202,241 JIVs. Results During an average follow-up of 3.5 years, 9.2% of JIVs died; the crude mortality rate was 2,660 deaths per 100,000 person-years. Age-specific mortality rates among JIVs were 2–5 times higher than those found in the general male veteran population and the U.S. adult population. Two major UCD among JIVs were suicide and homicide, which are not in the top 10 UCD among the general U.S. adult population. There were significant gender differences in top UCDs, but no significant differences by race/ethnicity. Among JIVs, being male, aged 45 years or older, unmarried, having a medical or substance use disorder, no VA service-connection or a lower than 50% rating, greater number of inpatient admissions, and greater number of emergency department visits were each significantly associated with increased risk for all-cause mortality. Utilization of VA’s Veterans Justice Programs was protective against all-cause mortality. Conclusions These findings highlight the high mortality risk among JIVs, and associated risk factors and benefits of the Veterans Justice Programs to inform intervention efforts.
DOI: 10.1186/s40352-026-00456-7
Language: English
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,790
OpenAlex ID: W7214064883
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