In recent years there has been an increased focus on military veterans as a distinct population within the criminal justice system. The prevalence and nature of offending, alongside the mental health concerns of this group have dominated existing research, bringing us closer to an informed evidence base. Yet, it is widely acknowledged that more research and insight into the complexity of the lived experience of this population is required. In response, this article proposes a ‘Military Integrated Nested Ecological Model’ (MINEM) as a useful analytical tool for those working with, supporting or researching military veterans post-conviction. In order to better understand the veteran offender, one must first understand the individual, familial, societal, and cultural spaces which they have experienced. Such insight into the veteran’s life course, across these ‘ecological spaces’, offers a framework to plot the life journey of the veteran, articulating the various risk and need factors therein. Ultimately, such an approach culminates in the realisation of the ‘veteran space’, or a representation of the complex and unique lived experience of veterans within the criminal justice system. To accompany this, the article will use alcohol-related domestic abuse, specifically intimate partner violence, as a case study to highlight issues specific to this offence and this population.

近年来，越来越多地将退伍军人作为刑事司法系统中的独特人群。犯罪的普遍性和性质以及该群体对心理健康的关注主导了现有研究，这使我们更接近了一个有根据的证据基础。然而，人们普遍认为，需要对这一人口的生活经验的复杂性进行更多的研究和洞察。为此，本文提出了“军事综合嵌套生态模型”（MINEM），作为对定罪后与退伍军人进行合作，提供支持或进行研究的人员的有用分析工具。为了更好地了解退伍军人，首先必须了解他们所经历的个人，家庭，社会和文化空间。对退伍军人生活历程的这种洞察力 在这些“生态空间”中，提供了一个框架，用于绘制退伍军人的生活历程，阐明其中的各种风险和需求因素。最终，这种方法最终实现了“退伍军人空间”，或者代表了刑事司法系统中退伍军人复杂而独特的生活经历。与此相伴的是，本文将以与酒精有关的家庭虐待，特别是亲密伴侣的暴力行为为案例研究，以突出针对该罪行和该人群的特定问题。或代表了刑事司法系统中退伍军人的复杂而独特的生活经历。与此相伴的是，本文将以与酒精有关的家庭虐待，特别是亲密伴侣的暴力行为为案例研究，以突出针对该罪行和该人群的特定问题。或代表了刑事司法系统中退伍军人的复杂而独特的生活经历。与此相伴的是，本文将以与酒精有关的家庭虐待，特别是亲密伴侣的暴力行为为案例研究，以突出针对该罪行和该人群的特定问题。