Military Granting More Criminal Waivers

Army, Marine Corps Allowing More Recruits With Felony Convictions To Join Up

(AP)  More recruits with criminal records, including felony convictions, are being allowed to join the Army and Marine Corps as the armed services cope with a dwindling pool of volunteers during wartime.

The military routinely grants waivers to take in recruits who have criminal records, medical problems or low aptitude scores that would otherwise disqualify them from service. Most are moral waivers, which include some felonies, misdemeanors, and traffic and drug offenses.

Defense Department statistics show that the number of Army and Marine recruits needing waivers for felonies and serious misdemeanors, including minor drug offenses, has grown since 2003. Some recruits may get more than one waiver.

The Army granted more than double the number of waivers for felonies and misdemeanors in 2006 than it did in 2003.

The number of felony waivers granted by the Army grew from 411 in 2003 to 901 in 2006, according to the Pentagon, or about one in 10 of the moral waivers approved that year. Other misdemeanors, which could be petty theft, writing a bad check or some assaults, jumped from about 2,700 to more than 6,000 in 2006. The minor crimes represented more than three-quarters of the moral waivers granted by the Army in 2006, up from more than half in 2003.

Army and Defense Department officials defended the waiver program as a way to admit young people who may have made a mistake early in life but have overcome past behavior. And they said about two-thirds of the waivers granted by the Marines are for drug use, because they — unlike the other services — require a waiver if someone has been convicted once for marijuana use.

Lawmakers and other observers say they are concerned that the struggle to fill the military ranks in this time of war has forced the services to lower their moral standards.

"The data is crystal clear. Our armed forces are under incredible strain and the only way that they can fill their recruiting quotas is by lowering their standards," said Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., who has been working to get additional data from the Pentagon. "By lowering standards, we are endangering the rest of our armed forces and sending the wrong message to potential recruits across the country."

Army spokesman Paul Boyce said Tuesday he is concerned because the Pentagon data differs from Army numbers. But overall, he said, "anything that is considered a risk or a serious infraction of the law is given the highest level of review."

"Our goal is to make certain that we recruit quality young men and women who can keep America defended against its enemies," Boyce said.

The data was obtained through a federal information request and released by the California-based Michael D. Palm Center, a think tank that studies military issues.

"The fact that the military has allowed more than 100,000 people with such troubled pasts to join its ranks over the past three years illustrates the problem we're having meeting our military needs in this time of war," said Aaron Belkin, director of the center.

Belkin said a new study commissioned by the center also concludes that the military does not have any programs that help convicted felons adjust to military life.

In recent years, as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have dragged on, the military has also relaxed some standards in order to meet recruitment demands. The Army, for example, increased its age limit for recruits from 35 to 42, and is accepting more people whose scores on a standardized aptitude test are at the lower end of the acceptable range.

In its report, the Pentagon said, "The waiver process recognizes that some young people have made mistakes, have overcome their past behavior, and have clearly demonstrated the potential for being productive, law-abiding citizens and members of the military."

According to the Pentagon, nearly a quarter of new military recruits needed some type of waiver in 2006, up from 20 percent in 2003. Roughly 30,000 moral waivers were approved each year between 2003 and 2006.

The military in its report divides moral waivers into six categories: felonies, serious and minor non-traffic offenses, serious and minor traffic offenses and drug offenses. Because many states have different crimes categorized as a felony or misdemeanor, the groupings are more general.

About one in five Army recruits needed a waiver to enlist in 2006, up from 12.7 percent in 2003. In addition, the report showed that the Army granted substantially fewer waivers for drug use and serious traffic violations last year than in 2003.

More than half of the Marine recruits needed a waiver in 2006, a bit higher than in 2003, and largely due to their more strict drug requirements. Felony waivers made up about 2 percent of the Marine waivers, while other lesser crimes made up about 25 percent, both up slightly from 2003.

About 18 percent of Navy recruits required a waiver, up only slightly from 2003. Two-thirds of the waivers granted by the Navy were for misdemeanor-type crimes and about 5 percent were for felonies.

Just 8 percent of Air Force recruits had waivers, down a bit from 2003. Nearly all of the waivers were for the misdemeanor-type crimes.

[frankbowers]

I would like to remind this mikeevilkin if Mr Clinton (correct spelling don't blame everthing on Clinton a blow *job* which you would have enjoyed)not dumb nut* like gwb I would like for you to think who received a scholarship to the best college in the world & if he did inhale he would not have been admitted to the army in those days deserters in those days wern't allow to run for president.If U think for one minute gwb wasn't a deserter I lived in Houston from 61 to 79 on Terrydale 77037 and can recall in 72 the AP's were looking for a drug user/deserter, lt. g.w.bush. That is a fact.The best of good byes FBowers

[mikevilkin]

How come klinton became commander-in-chief after inhaling, or did he not?

If klinton did not need a waiver when he applied for a job to keep his dirty finger on the nukelar button, then, sure as hell, those young guys do not need no stupid waiver for smoking marijuana or for been in some fist fight.
--Michael Vilkin

[wordsmythe-2009]

to r-bayless

I appreciate your concern that what I wrote may be interpreted as being disrespectful to those serving. Apologies, as it was not intended that way.
However, by the same token, not all ex-cons are untrustworthy, nor are they disloyal to their country, nor would they not want to serve this country. The news article itself described the small increases in waivers, not exactly flooding the system. Also, felons covers a large group of crimes including some traffic violations. These are not murderers, rapists, arsonists nor even violent assaultive criminals. That the military would accept them is neither degrading to the military nor is it putting our country or servicemen and women in greater danger. The issue is trust; and trust is earned regardless of past. If a person, i.e. ex-con, can make it through boot camp and through the required training, why would I have reason to assume that at the last moment or the vital moment this singular person--based upon some drug incident in his past or some larceny--will now abandon his squad? The logic doesn't fit; the fear does, but not the logic. "Once a con always a con" is a faded stereotype.

[gramto7]

BILDO-
Thank you for the words to ths song!! It has been a favorite of mine ever since it first came out....

[beckestr]

maybe we can say to illigal alians they can gain citizinship if they join the war in Iraq, that could help us too.

[bildooreilly]

War-huh-yeah
what is it good for?
absolutely nothing
Say it again
War-I despise
'Cos it means destruction
Of innocent lives
War means tears
To thousands of mothers how
When their sons go off to fight
And lose their lives
I said
War-huh
It ain't nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
It's an enemy of all mankind
the thought of war blows my mind
war has caused unrest within the younger generation
induction then destruction, who wants to die?
It ain't nothing but a heartbreaker
War
it got one friend that's the undertaker
War has shattered
Many young men's dreams
made him disabled, bitter, and mean
life is much too short and precious to spend fighting wars these days
war can't give life, it can only take it away
It ain't nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
We've got no place for it today
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord knows there's just got to be a better way
War
War
War-Good God, yall
Give it to me, yeah
What is it good for?

[formrusmcsgt]

Gee, I thought it was because the meals provided by Halliburton just aren't as tasty as the old stuff ... and the uniforms laundered by Halliburton just aren't as well starched. But, then again, maybe you're right. ;-)
Posted by r_bayless at 04:44 PM : Feb 14, 2007

Bro, we would have killed to have these MRE's these kids today get. We made do on C-Rats, and a lot of stale ones at that! lol.

[formrusmcsgt]

luckygirl042-

I saw many take to the needle in Viet Nam. A big part of it was that we all knew it was an American boondoggle, just like many of our warriors feel about Iraq.

I correspond via email with a young female warrior in Iraq and she states that most of them have to "drink the Kool-Aid" in front of the cameras to avoid courts martial, but privately, they have the same feelings we had in Viet Nam...a ridiculous and total waste.

[luckygirl042]

"Got in a little home town jam, so they put a rifle in my hand.Sent me off to a foreign land,
to go and kill the yellow man.
Bruce Springsteen, "Born in the USA".
-------------------------------------
When I was a senior in high school, in 1965, a boy I had a crush on stole a car and got caught. Instead of going to jail, since he was of draftable age, he went to Viet Nam. He made it thru, but came home addicted to heroin, he OD'd and died about 5 years later. Shoulda went to jail, I guess.
This is nothing new.

[formrusmcsgt]

AND, THERE WOULD BE NO REASON TO ARREST AND PROSECUTE OUR BORDER PATROL AGENTS FOR DOING THEIR JOBS.
Posted by crater7 at 03:49 PM : Feb 14, 2007

Cite one instance where an INS employee has been arrested and prosecuted for "doing their job".

[formrusmcsgt]

Defense Department statistics show that the number of Army and Marine recruits needing waivers for felonies and serious misdemeanors, including minor drug offenses, has grown since 2003.

Geee....I wonder why that is? Let's see, could there be some kind of cause and effect relationship here?

Well, iraq was invaded in '03....hmmmmm. Maybe the better quality recruits decided they didn't want to be endangered in a ridiculous neocon boondoggle? Maybe???

[sclaires]

I used to work at the largest basic training base in the United States. The number of recruits who came through was large. But, the most important thing is that they are given an urine test for drugs as part of their initial processing. The number of positive tests for various drugs was tremendous. This was back in the 1970s. Then you had the ones who received waivers for various offenses. The stockade was always full of basic trainees who could not adjust to military life because of the discipline. They ended up wasting the taxpayers money since it does cost to process them into the military, give them training which they never finished, put them in the stockade, and tnen ending up discharging them. If they were drug abusers, then they had a year of counseling to go through to try to keep them off drugs for good. No, waivers just don't work!!!

[agnim]

Yes, let's fill the military with even more criminals for them to gain more experience at preying on people.

When they return to society, they will be 'well trained' and better equipped to wail on defenseless Americans. LOL

[crater7]

THIS IS NOT A BAD POLICY. WE SOLVE TWO PROBLEMS HERE. HELP REDUCE OUR OVER CROWDED PRISONS, WE CAN SEND THE CROOKS TO IRAQ FOR TRAINING SO THEY WILL BE EXPERIENCED FOR THE WAR IN IRAN, THEN WE CAN ISSUE ALL THE ILEGAL ALIENS A NEW NATIONAL DRIVER LICENSE AND A BANK AMM##CA CREDIT CARD,AND SEND THEM TO IRAN TO RE-ENFORCE THE CRIMINALS. NO NEED TO BUILD THAT 700 MILE FENCE ON OUR 2OOO MILE BORDER WITH MEXICO. THINK OF ALL THE MONEY WE COULD SAVE. AND, THERE WOULD BE NO REASON TO ARREST AND PROSECUTE OUR BORDER PATROL AGENTS FOR DOING THEIR JOBS.

[wordsmythe-2009]

Much ado about nothing.
The numbers don't justify the hype, nor do the men and women who have served their time in jail/prison. They are trying to help our country because we the civilized have closed off jobs, housing, and other services here at home. It seems some within the ranks, or those so called quality people, have also committed crimes. What about those at Abu Gharib? They weren't criminals before they entered.The military is not a monastery or convent.

[j-whitman]

After slamming Kerry for his comment on some troops signing up for an education,, These republicans must think,, criminals are good for our TROOPS..

[bluestardad]

You may have noticed the coming surge of American public opinion against using our military to promote the agenda of other Countries interest! American people are learning it is ok to disagree with a President who is friends of Saudi Arabia and gives them special treatment on the world stage at the expense of American lives. For years no one would say anything against promoting Israeli agenda for fear of being labeled an anti-Semitist but now America is learning it is also acceptable to disagree with Israeli promoters like AIPAC members, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and William Kristol of the Weekly Standard who would gladly sell thousands of American soldiers lives to promote Israeli interest! Now these same policies and neocons are pushing our soldiers toward another war in Iran. American military is made to protect American interest not the interest of other countries! Our blood and treasure should be spent only in American interest! The statue of liberty stands in New York Harbor not in the desert of the Middle East!

[randalds]

Go to jail or join the Army.
I could clean out our prisons.

Posted by getcentered at 01:22 PM : Feb 14, 2007

In the late 60's (and probably before) an amazing number of people were offered that choice. More then a few criminal cases were settled with a plea bargain that included going to Vietnam.

[getcentered]

I can't think of a better way to teach discipline to felons.

This could be an option for people who are going to go to prison.

Go to jail or join the Army.
I could clean out our prisons.

[getcentered]

Nice!

Lets put criminals in the military!
Maybe they'll be rehabilitated?

The military is desparate for new recruits?
I wonder why.