Should Felons Be Allowed To Join The Military?
Enlisting felons in the military has recently been highlighted by the media. Frankly, I never thought about the fact that the U.S. armed forces accept them as recruits. Out of sight, out of mind, I suppose, and perhaps a bit naïve, given the behavior that’s generally considered acceptable in our society today.
The military does, in fact, accept some felons, albeit they are a small percentage of the total enlistments. There is an established procedure for permitting them to apply and for screening the applicants, so the question appears to be more one of how it’s handled than should our armed forces be doing it at all.
CBS4denver.com recently reported, “Those numbers represent a fraction of the more than 180,000 recruits brought in by the active duty Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines during fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2007. But they highlight a trend that has raised concerns both within the military and on Capitol Hill.”
The enlistment of convicted felons increased “from 824 in 2003 to 1605 in 2006. The services allow these felons to enlist under what is known as the ‘moral waivers program,’ which allows the military to examine the circumstances in which the crime was committed in order to determine the stability of the individuals and evaluate their likelihood of serving their country morally and honorably.” The factors that are considered include the age of the applicant at the crime was committed, “the possible motives for which the crime was committed, and an interview process.” (Marty Angelo Ministries, Inc., “Armed forces see increase in ex-felons enlisting,” www.martyangelo.com/ex_cons15.htm).
“The services use a waiver process to let in recruits with felon convictions, and many of the crimes were committed when the service members were juveniles.” (www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008, April 21, 2008)
A study by Michael Boucai, a visiting researcher at Georgetown University, “argues that a more forthright, well-informed and humane public engagement with the question of ex-offender enlistment could help promote the development of policies and programs for more effectively integrating ex-offenders into the Armed Forces…most of these recruits become fine service members, and military service often has a strong rehabilitative effect. The real problem is that, increasingly, the military fails to recruit the best and the brightest.” (www.palmcenter.org)
The types of offenses that qualify for moral waivers range from felonies to various degrees of traffic, i.e., both minor and serious traffic violations, and use of illegal substances. For example, the Army forgives, without granting a “moral waiver,” pre-service abuse of drugs, whereas the Marines require a “moral waiver” for even a single use of marijuana.
All things considered, should the U.S. Armed Forces accept recruits who have been convicted of a felony?
My conclusion is that they should, with proper screening, which they appear to be doing. The idea that people who get into trouble early in life should be precluded from serving their country does not make sense to me, for several reasons: 1) rehabilitation of the individuals involved, 2) training for their future occupations, and 3) the potential of careers in the service.
If everyone who ever did something wrong or ran afoul of the law when they were young is forever foreclosed from future employment opportunities, we would undoubtedly end up with many more of them re-offending. As a matter of fact, I am of the opinion that every young person in America should be required to serve the nation in some capacity for at least one or two years.
© 2008 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved
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