Table 1
Baseline demographic characteristics of VA-housed legal clinic clients (n = 61).
| % (n) | M(SD) | |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 90.2 (55) | |
| Age | 56.8 (13.9) | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 24.6 (15) | |
| Race | ||
| White | 45.0 (27) | |
| Black | 21.7 (13) | |
| Asian | 3.3 (2) | |
| Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 6.7 (4) | |
| Other | 23.3 (15) | |
| Years of education | 14.2 (2.1) | |
| Employed | 32.8 (20) | |
| Monthly income ($) | 1,098 (1,500) | |
| Marital status | ||
| Currently married | 18.0 (11) | |
| Formerly married | 55.8 (34) | |
| Never married | 26.2 (16) | |
| Usual living arrangement | ||
| With family or friends | 34.4 (21) | |
| Alone | 32.8 (20) | |
| Controlled environment | 6.6 (4) | |
| No stable arrangement | 26.2 (16) | |
| Military branch | ||
| Army | 49.2 (30) | |
| Navy | 23.0 (14) | |
| Air Force | 13.1 (8) | |
| Marine Corps | 9.8 (6) | |
| National Guard | 0.0 (0) | |
| >1 branch | 4.9 (3) | |
| Number of years in the military | 5.1 (4.1) | |
| Deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since 9/11/2001 | 11.5 (7) | |
| Ever deployed to combat zone Type of military discharge* | 34.4 (21) | |
| Honorable | 73.8 (45) | |
| General | 11.5 (7) | |
| Bad conduct | 4.9 (3) | |
| Other than honorable | 9.8 (6) | |
| Received disciplinary action while in the military | 55.7 (34) |
[i] * Honorable discharge: Military service member received a good or excellent rating for service time. General discharge: Military service member received a satisfactory rating. Bad conduct discharge: Enlisted military member received court-martial due to punishment for bad conduct; virtually all veterans benefits are forfeited. Other than honorable discharge: Military service member engaged in an action such as security violation, use of violence, or conviction in a civilian court with a sentence including prison time; cannot re-enlist in the armed forces except under very rare circumstances; usually cannot receive veterans’ benefits.
Figure 1
Types of legal help needed at baseline (n = 61).
Table 2
Baseline psychosocial characteristics of VA-housed legal clinic clients (n = 61).
| Criminal justice involvement | % (n) | M (SD) |
|---|---|---|
| Awaiting charges, trial, sentence | 4.9 (3) | |
| On parole or probation | 8.2 (5) | |
| In a treatment court | 3.3 (2) | |
| Ever arrested and charged | 82.0 (50) | |
| Has been incarcerated | 60.7 (37) | |
| Number of months incarcerated (if ever) | 25.8 (42.2) | |
| Health | ||
| Has chronic medical condition | 78.7 (48) | |
| Takes prescribed medication for medical condition | 65.6 (40) | |
| Ever received psychological treatment | 80.3 (49) | |
| Receives a pension for a psychiatric disability | 5.0 (9) | |
| Had a significant period of time experiencing | Lifetime % (n) | Past 30 days % (n) |
| Serious depression | 91.8 (56) | 67.2 (41) |
| Serious anxiety | 91.8 (56) | 72.1 (44) |
| Hallucinations | 37.7 (23) | 23.0 (14) |
| Trouble understanding, concentrating, remembering | 73.8 (45) | 55.7 (34) |
| Trouble controlling violent behavior, rage, violence | 41.0 (25) | 14.8(9) |
| Serious thoughts of suicide | 59.0 (36) | 14.8 (9) |
| Attempted suicide | 37.7 (23) | 3.3 (2) |
| Taking prescribed medication for psychological condition | 73.8 (45) | 57.4 (35) |
| Substance use | ||
| Tobacco | not asked | 37.7 (23) |
| Alcohol (at all) | 86.9 (53) | 34.4 (21) |
| Alcohol (to feel effects) | 59.0 (36) | 13.1 (8) |
| Heroin | 14.8 (9) | 0 (0) |
| Opioid/analgesics (not prescribed) | 9.8 (6) | 0 (0) |
| Barbiturates | 13.1 (8) | 0 (0) |
| Sedatives/Hypnotics/Tranquilizers | 13.1 (8) | 8.2 (5) |
| Cocaine | 42.6 (26) | 6.6 (4) |
| Amphetamines | 29.5 (18) | 6.6 (4) |
| Cannabis | 57.4 (35) | 19.6 (12) |
| Hallucinogens | 18.0 (11) | 0 (0) |
| Inhalants | 3.3 (2) | 0 (0) |
| Baseline prescribed medication use | ||
| Methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone | 14.9 (9) | 14.8 (9) |
| Opioids/analgesics | 31.1 (19) | 14.8 (9) |
| Health care utilization In the past 6 months, | % (n) | |
| Stayed overnight in the hospital | 24.5 (15) | |
| Received treatment in the emergency room | 60.7 (37) | |
| Received residential treatment | 24.5 (15) | |
| Received outpatient treatment | 82.0 (5) |
Table 3
VA-housed legal clinic clients’ experiences at follow-up (n = 49).
| After your visit with the VA-housed legal clinic, did you receive additional help with civil legal matters? | % (n) | M (SD) |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, from the legal clinic staff | 14.3 (7) | |
| Yes, from a referral received at the legal clinic | 14.3 (7) | |
| Yes, other | 2.0 (1) | |
| No | 69.4 (34) | |
| After your visit with the VA-housed legal clinic, | ||
| did you receive additional help with criminal legal matters? | ||
| Yes, from the legal clinic staff | 0 (0) | |
| Yes, from a referral received at the legal clinic | 2.0 (1) | |
| Yes, other | 0 (0) | |
| No | 98.0 (48) | |
| Number in-person meetings with VA-housed legal clinic staff | 47 (.94) | |
| Number phone meetings with VA-housed legal clinic staff | .44 (1.00) | |
| Extent to which VA-housed clinic staff met your legal needs (0 = none; 1 = few; 2 = most; 3 = almost all) | 1.32 (1.20) | |
| Extent to which you and legal clinic staff agreed on goals for your legal needs (0 = totally disagreed; 1 = disagreed somewhat; 2 = agreed somewhat; 3 = totally agreed) | 2.39 (.99) | |
| Services you received help you deal better with your legal problems (0 = no, made things worse; 1 = no, didn’t help; 2 = yes, somewhat; 3 = yes, a great deal) | 2.07 (.915) | |
| How legal services fit with your ideas about what is most helpful to people with legal problems (0 = didn’t fit at all; 1 = fit a little; 2 = fit somewhat; 3 = fit very well) | 2.02 (1.03) | |
| How satisfied with legal services received (0 = very dissatisfied; 1 = indifferent or mildly dissatisfied; 2 = mostly satisfied; 3 = very satisfied) | 1.91 (1.05) |