Join the Military or Go to Jail?
My father served in the Army during the Korean War and told me that many of the soldiers he served alongside with were in the Army as an alternative to prison. Several Vietnam-era vets have told me they’ve served with military members who were told by a judge, “Join the Military, or go to jail.” Can courts still do that? Can a criminal court judge sentence a person to military service as an alternative to jail. Can a prosecutor mandate that someone join the military as an alternative to criminal prosecution? Well, a judge or prosecutor can do whatever they please (within the limits of the law for their jurisdiction), but — that doesn’t mean the military branches are required to accept such people and — they don’t. The Army addresses this issue in the Army Recruiting Regulation, Army Regulation 601-210, paragraph 4-8b: “Applicant who, as a condition for any civil conviction or adverse disposition or any other reason
