Would you support giving people time in the army instead of jail?

skylor_williams

I was JAG on active duty. My job was writing Article 15s, Chapters, and working on court-martials. I saw a lot of stuff that would just plain "blow your mind."

With the war in Iraq, we used to be able to recruit a lot of people without any criminal records, and make minor waivers for some records. The standard was "two nonviolent misdemeanors". Because of Iraq and pressing need to recruit more people, the standard was lowered to "one nonviolent felony and two misdemeanors, case-by-case basis." So all you neocons out there who want to pass judgment on the Asker have only yourselves to blame if you want to pass over his desire for service, and look at him like something you pulled out your nose.

Here's some helpful advice: 1) Don't join the military expecting it to teach you discipline. Discipline is something you bring to the table. You might slide through Basic without it, but your life is sure to be miserable anywhere you serve while in permanent party-status.

Can you develop self-discipline before you join?

2) Don't join expecting to escape your old life. I've seen it too many times. Druggies join expecting to not do drugs while there. Other druggies sense who you are, and will drag you into their circle. And believe me, there is a significant drug problem in the military. Whatever your particular taste for crime is, other similar criminals seek each other out in the military. Druggies tend to hang with druggies, thieves with thieves, etc. Even if they avoid it while on duty, once they go home for vacation, a day with their old friends at home brings back the old skin. Some people I know can never go home for vacation, because they know it will turn them back to the old ways.

Can you say goodbye to everything bad in your old pre-military life? You can't hang out with your bad friends, you can't go to your old bad hangouts.

Other than that, lots of folks with criminal pasts do well in the military, and have built excellent careers and happy lives.

It might be the way to go. The military offers a good second chance for lots of folks, but only after they can successfully answer the two questions I posed you.

Perhaps you've seen the new Marines commercial: "We don't take applications, we only take committments."

Skylor Williams

frenchy62

No. The military demands a high standard of discipline, something that these people don't have. A foxhole in Iraq is not a place where you "hope" he gets it.

People who do not want to be there will have bad attitudes and will only hurt the military. For this reason, I think the military should be all-volunteer unless otherwise is absolutely necessary.

monet

So you're asking if we should reward for you crimes by letting you serve in the military? No, absolutely not.

tony

NO! the armed forces are built on strong minds and strong bodies...not knuckle-dragging criminals like you!

Good God! at least go get a job and serve your country by not being a drain on it anymore. Contribute by getting to work.

DUI? you worthless piece of trash! are you aware of the lives of worthwhile people you put at risk driving around stoned, you clown?

please don't reproduce.

vanamont7

Nope. A bad citizen is a horrible soldier.

Politically Wrong

Nope......Don't want that sort of individual in the military...Saw it during VietNam...not a good practice

Brian I

The Army isn't the garbage dump for society's refuse?

Joining the Army should be a carefully considered Patriotic decision that you make where you choose to serve your country.

Jail is where we send bad people.

One of them deserves to put you through hell, and it isn't the Army. I could see if they put you through like, boot camp or something and then gave you an incentive to join as part of your punishment because I believe that the Army makes the best citizens (something to do with sacrificing for your country), but it shouldn't be used as a "get out of jail free" card.

Rainman

no there is more freedom to do stuff in the military, than in jail. And there are criminals in the military or that previously served in the military remember those rapisit?!?!

stonechic

NO! Unless you have a clean record, joining the military with its challenges and lifestyle changes can only exacerbate your exisiting problems.

Serve your probation, keep your nose clean and if you still want to join up, do it then.

Military life isn't exactly a rose garden anyway. That's why they have military brigs for those who won't obey their rules either.

JMarie

Although I think I read regret in your question about what you did, &/or the fact that you can't get into the military, but do you seriously think the military should be the place for training and arming criminals?

Aside from yourself, who may be truly contrite, how could we sleep at night if every criminal were trained to kill? (Not to mention some of the other things they're trained to do -- my husband was a Marine.) Besides discipline, that is what military basic training teaches...when necessary, that is the way our military may have to defend our country. It is the purpose of the military.

Serve your probation, find a job if you haven't already, so you can support yourself. Get additional schooling if needed, and just try to lead a good citizen life till you can enlist.

Remember what caused you to do what you did to get in jail, and vow to do better. Even if you never get in the military, you'll be proud you served your time according to the law and you'll have proved you are a citizen to be proud of. Good luck with your life.

sgreger1

I agree jail is not a good rehabilitation, but we cannot be making people go to the army as a way out of jail, we would have criminals there which dont actually want to fight but just dont want to go to jail.

The Tin Man

Ok, you have a serious criminal misconduct, aka a felony for ROBBERY. Then a misdemeanor (serious offense) for a DUI.

You technically could be waivered in, but I don't see it being approved. You've already shown you can't be trust and are irresponsible. Why would we entrust you with the lives of Soldiers?

You've already had two chances...

I do support the idea of letting people with "minor non traffic" going in the Army instead of jail, not serious charges. That's just screwing the Soldiers who would have to put their lives in real criminals' hands.

chappye7

As a retiree from the Army, if this person has that much courage sign him up and if he makes it and survives combat I feel all his past charges should be dropped.

Outlaw 1-3

Absolutely NOT!

The military force we have today is an all volunteer force. We are comprised of people who want to be here, people understand the need to be part of a team. People who follow the rules and regulations necessary to accomplish any mission our nation asks of us.

Criminals, by definition, have already shown their disdain for our society's rules and regulations. If the military was full of rapist, murderers (and, yes) robbers and drunks, how can a commander expect them to follow an order that may or may not lead to their death? How can America expect them to act so selflessly when, by the very nature of their crimes, they have displayed nothing but selfishness?

We have tried the non-volunteer route before - as recently as Vietnam. Drug use and crime was so rampant it took a couple of decades to rebuild the military into the mighty machine it is today.

And if you are interested in the military, talk to a recruiter. There are always waivers that can be given if you really want to serve.

SERVING IN THE MILITARY IS AN HONOR - NOT A PUNISHMENT!!

Have a GREAT Army day!! Huah!!

gimpalomg

I'm retired military. The last thing I needed was a thief or a drunk. We got enough of them without taking people with a history of that behavior. If you can't function in normal society trust me, you won't be able to handle the discipline in the military.

Do the best you can to get work. Then do it right, don't steal from the boss and stay sober. After a couple of years of proving yourself give the military another try. If you can make it through probation (I thought it was parole if you were in jail but I guess not), with all the cards stacked against you, I'd take you into one of my military organizations but not without you showing what you are made of.

BTW, being in jail does me some good. While you are locked up, I don't have to worry about you robing me or killing me while you are driving drunk. If all a guy had to do was join the military to get felony charges dropped, can you imagine how unsafe a person in the military would be. Some guy commits a string of 50 murders and we put them in the military. I think that is a very bad idea.

Good luck, I hope you can turn things around.

tcatmech2

Part of being in the Army/military requires.... LEGAL, MORAL and ETHICAL CONDUCT BOTH ON AND OFF DUTY.......

Please don't do us any favors. Stay where you are.

W W D

Your timing is a bit off. The military need people of good character. This is usually done by accepting people of good character. Sometimes (more often in years past) they've taken kids in what is now called the "at risk" category and instilled the needed character. Perhaps you're growing up and can try again later. Good luck.

Cloth on Bum, Breastmilk in Tum!

No. I like knowing that all the soldiers around here are of halfway decent character. It makes me feel safer.

Plus, I don't want my husband side by side with criminals on the front lines.

I'm sure that being in jail is a horrible experience, but you essentially made a choice to go there when you chose to break the law. Join the Army when you've done your time, but I don't think filling the Army with criminals who are looking to escape jail time is a good answer. They won't want to be there anymore than they would want to be in jail, and it would defeat the purpose of an all-volunteer military.

Para-diddle

no because when i look at the guy inthe fox hole next to me i want to see a soldier not a person who is servering a sentance.

Dont get Infected

in some cases yes i would rather have people have the choice to join the military for go to jail. some people who are going to go to jail for a really long time and the look in their eyes say give me anouther chance. i think the military would be great for those people. but people who are most likely to commit again then no they shouldnt

furrryyy

If that don't take the all the nerve, you want criminals, law breakers, serve time in the army instead of jail or prison. That is, in reality rewarding criminals and law breakers for doing the illegal acts. Now is they serve time in army but not get paid for it as volunteers in the army, I would support that. At least not getting regular army pay until they have serve their jail or probational punishment.

2Beagles

No, I do not support that. If you're suppose to go to jail, then you obvious did something illegal. We need our servicemen and women to be the best of the best in order to serve for their country. Imagine what the military would be if there were just a bunch of criminals running around with their loaded guns. It's honorable that you would join especially with Iraq, but you made the decision to break the law and now you have to pay the price.

11001001

NO! The purpose of our military is to protect the welfare of the nation through volunteer service. There are numerous reasons why putting criminals in the army would be an awful idea. I am not saying that you would do this, by any means, but there are criminals out there who would consider that a great opportunity to go into a foreign country with weapons and tactical training and dissapear, and terrorize other people with military training. It would also be bad for foreign policy. Occupied countries would hate us even more than they already do. It is too risky to trust people with criminal backgrounds, even if they really are interested in turning their acts around.

Curtis B

Nothing personal, but we don't need to empty out our jails to fill up our military. Besides, I would rather get the ones who don't get caught. The one who get arrested are unlucky at best and incompetent at worst.

pusherhombre

God no!

We did that in Vietnam by making service compulsory and lost. Today we have an Army where all the soldier are there because they want to be there, and we kick a lot of butt!

Army Wife

I would support it, you can't get away with S*** in the army....

cheri b

Yes, for non-violent and victimless crimes.

lokiosez

I could maybe see another "special" Branch of the military. Maybe a special boot-camp and a very strict regiment then some sort of "special inmate service". It couldn't be for all offenders, but I do agree that the "rehabilitation" involved in our prison system is not where it needs to be.
Right now we have gotten to a point in out corrections system where we need to start thinking outside the box, (no pun intended, but it is funny). I don't think that all charges should be dropped, but instead of sitting in a jail cell 24 hours a day for years on end, let the convicts serve time in some sort of military program, with the proper guidance and training.
I don't think you could put these people into the regular military, it would have to be a special branch or special unit of some sort.
I could definitely see some sort of program like this working, with the right type of structure and people and support.

EZMZ

Jamie I think you have a good point-I would support such a measure within a reasonable frame work----it would have to be prisoners who love our country.In addition-----no really bad violent offenders-------rapists or killers..

Oh I'd totally support it. But to a point. Some of those freaks just shouldn't hold ANY kind of weapon; know what I mean??

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