More Convicted Felons Allowed in Army, Military
By Associated Press | April 22, 2008
WASHINGTON — Under pressure to meet combat needs, the Army and Marine Corps brought in significantly more recruits with felony convictions last year than in 2006, including some with manslaughter and sex crime convictions.
Data released by a congressional committee shows the number of soldiers admitted to the Army with felony records jumped to 511 in 2007 from 249 in 2006. And the number of Marines with felonies rose to 350 from 208.
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 the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007. But they highlight a trend that has raised concerns both within the military and on Capitol Hill.
