Armed Forces Enlistment as an Alternative to Federal Prosecution

Present regulations of the Armed Services prohibit the enlistment of an individual against whom criminal or juvenile charges are pending or against whom the charges have been dismissed to facilitate the individual's enlistment. This policy is based, in part, on the premise that the individual who enlists under such conditions is not properly motivated to become an effective member of the Armed Forces.

Determination as to whether prosecution should be instituted or pending criminal charges dismissed in any case should be made on the basis of whether the public interest would thereby best be served and without reference to possible military service on the part of the subject. The Armed Forces are not to be regarded as correctional institutions and United States Attorneys are urged to give full cooperation to the Department of Defense in the latter's efforts to ensure a highly motivated all-volunteer Armed Forces and to bolster public confidence in military service as a respectable and honorable profession.

There may be exceptional cases in which imminent military service, together with other factors, may be considered in deciding to decline prosecution if the offense is trivial or insubstantial, the offender is generally of good character, has no record or habits of anti-social behavior, and does not require rehabilitation through existing criminal institutional methods, and failure to prosecute will not seriously impair observance of the law in question or respect for law generally. In no case, however, should the United States Attorney be a party to, or encourage, an agreement respecting foregoing criminal prosecution in exchange for enlistment in the Armed Services.