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The Statistics: Veterans, Addiction, and Criminal Justice

  • 2010 is the 9th straight year the U.S. has been at war
  • There are 23.4 million U.S. Veterans
  • 2 million Veterans and counting are from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
  • 1 in 4 Veterans ages 18-25 met the criteria for substance abuse disorder in 2006
  • 1.8 million Veterans of any age met the criteria for having a substance abuse disorder in 2006
  • 81% of justice-involved Veterans had a substance abuse issue prior to incarceration
  • There are 140,000 U.S. Veterans in prison, and 60% of those have a substance abuse problem
  • There are 130,000 homeless U.S. Veterans, and 75% of them suffer from substance abuse problems

Sources: National Association of Drug Court Professionals, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

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