Program for Incarcerated Veterans Builds Structure and Success in Texas
Photo: The Harris County Sheriff’s Office Brothers in Arms program was awarded the 2023 Achievement Award in the Category of Criminal Justice and Public Safety by the National Association of Counties. Photo Credit: Harris County Sheriff’s Office
By Nathaniel Humpal
Despite their service and sacrifice, U.S. military veterans don’t always receive sufficient post-service support. The lack of connection or access to services can lead to struggles with mental health, substance use and homelessness. As a result, many veterans find themselves involved in the criminal justice system. The recidivism rate for veterans is high, 68.5% , often because the root causes of their challenges go unresolved during their incarceration.
To address this, Harris County, Texas, launched a jail-based program called Brothers in Arms in partnership with the Veteran Services Office in 2019. In its first five years, the program has shown promising results.
Located in Houston, the Harris County Jail is the third-largest jail in the U.S. and houses an average of more than 300 veterans. After leaving the military, many veterans struggle to regain the sense of structure they once had during service. Brothers in Arms provides a structured routine reminiscent of the military approach, bringing together veterans who are motivated to gain life skills and housing them in a separate cell block from the general population.
One of the key aspects of Brothers in Arms is its inclusivity. Rather than restricting access to only honorably discharged veterans, the program is open to any veteran whose inmate behavior is not problematic. According to Sgt. Ramon Garza, the military liaison for Harris County Jail, this inclusive approach keeps veterans motivated and committed to self-improvement.
“Our hope for these individuals upon completion of the program is to gain life skills such as mentoring, anger management, relationships, boundaries and finances,” said Garza.
That hope is being realized. The program’s effectiveness during its first five years was studied and published in the Justice Evaluation Journal in March 2025. Researchers examined data collected from 865 veterans who participated in the Brothers in Arms program between February 2019 and December 2023.
The results are promising. About 74% of participants, roughly 640 veterans, completed the program and reported gaining life skills. The remaining 26%, or approximately 225 veterans, were expelled for behavioral issues such as threatening or attacking fellow veterans or staff.
Although exact recidivism numbers are not yet available, estimates suggest that most of the 640 veterans who have completed the Brothers in Arms program have not returned to jail. This places Brothers in Arms alongside other successful veteran-focused programs, such as the Housing Unit for Military Veterans (HUMV) at Massachusetts’ Middlesex County Jail, which reports a 7% recidivism rate, significantly lower than the national average of 68.5%. Both programs credit their success to specialized structures that help veterans to focus on their well-being and developing skills to help them re-enter society.
Still, the research uncovered some areas of concern. In addition to evaluating outcomes, the study identified factors that predicted whether a veteran would complete the program. The older a veteran was and the longer they had served, the more likely they were to complete Brothers in Arms. Notably, the branch of military service was not a significant factor.
Another major predictor was homelessness. Veterans at a higher risk of homelessness, those without family or friends who could provide shelter, were twice as likely to not complete the program. In contrast, veterans with stable housing support had a 70% to 100% predicted chance of completing the program.
This barrier is significant: 78% of veterans in the study, around 675 individuals, were identified as being at risk of homelessness. Addressing homelessness risks is critical, and Brothers in Arms is working to improve support by offering resources for finding shelters and teaching veterans how to access them.
The implications of these findings go beyond this single program. The data can inform improvements to other rehabilitation efforts, including veterans’ treatment courts and military exist programs, with the goal of reducing the risk of homelessness for those transitioning out of service.
Veterans deserve support, and Brothers in Arms represents a meaningful step in the right direction.
Nathaniel Humpal is a freelance Deaf science writer, currently completing his master’s degree in science writing at Johns Hopkins University.