• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

US Military

  • Branches
    • Army
    • Navy
    • Air Force
    • Marine Corps
    • Coast Guard
    • National Guard
    • Air National Guard
    • Find A Recruiter
  • Find A Recruiter
  • Military Benefits
    • GI Bill
    • VA Loans
    • Military Scholarships
    • Military Friendly Colleges
    • Money
  • Jobs
    • Military Pay Chart
    • Veteran Jobs
    • Civilian Jobs
  • VA Loan Rates
  • Military News
    • Top News
    • Benefits
    • Careers
    • Education
    • Featured Columnists
      • Larry Fowler
      • Scott Ostrow
      • Kim Lengling
      • Dr. Sasha Toperich
      • Rick Stewart
  • GI Bill
  • VA Loans
  • Military Scholarships
  • Top Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities in America

Military Recruiting: Felons in the Military

July 12, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

As a military recruiter, one of the most common questions you may receive is, “Can I join the military if I have a felony?” The military recruiting felons is a bit hard to understand.

This question doesn’t have a simple yes or no answer. Every branch of the military is different when it comes to military recruiting and they all have specific standards. However, there are regulations in every branch when it comes to felonies.

The U.S. Military maintains a very high moral standard for recruiting and doesn’t allow most felonies. However, there are situations where a felony may be allowed, such as if you were a juvenile when it happened. If you were an adult when the felony happened, getting into the military may be much harder, or impossible.

Regardless, it comes down to the offense you committed and how long ago it happened. You will want to tell your military recruiter about your felony during the process. There is no such thing as “sealed” when it comes to the military and “expunged” doesn’t work either.

Waivers for Some Offenses

While not all felonies or crimes have a waiver to allow you into the military, some do. You can get a waiver, in some cases for:

  • Misdemeanors
  • Minor non-traffic related charges
  • Civil offenses
  • A solo serious misconduct charge
  • A combination of misdemeanor and minor charges

The military will also look at the number of charges, along with the combination of the charges before deciding if a wavier will be granted.

Crimes Disqualifying You from Service

While a waiver may be available for some crimes, others will disqualify you from serving in the military. Those crimes include:

  • Assault
  • Rape
  • Drug-related crimes
  • Murder
  • Larceny

These are very serious and often violent crimes that will keep you out of the military for good.

Why Sealed and Expunged Don’t Matter

You may have been a teen when you committed the felony, which means your record could be sealed. However, nothing is sealed from the U.S. Government and a felony will be found by the military if you try to join.

You could get your felony expunged from your record, but the government and military will still find out about it. This won’t help your case if you have a serious offense on your record.

Military Recruiting Felons: Four Categories of Offenses

Not all branches of the military handle crimes the same way, but the Army uses four categories of offenses. These include:

  • Those with six or more minor traffic offenses (where the fine was more than $100 per offense)
  • Three or more minor non-traffic offenses
  • Two or more misdemeanors
  • One or more felonies

If you fall into one of these categories, you will need a waiver to join the Army. This is basically the case in any branch of the military, although other branches may be stricter.

Waiver for Serious and Violent Crimes Do Happen

Sometimes, the military will grant waivers for more serious crimes, such as assault, burglary and drug possession. The Army and the Marine Corps did this back in 2008 with the Army granting 511 felony waivers, which was up by nearly double from the year before. The Marines also offered 350 waivers.

The Army has made it clear they will never issue waivers for some offenses including drug trafficking, alcoholism, and sexual violence.

More Waivers Now than Before

The number of felony waivers has gone up and the Army believes it’s necessary. They believe the larger number of waivers is due to the way the mainstream has changed. This isn’t just for felonies, but also for medical issues, such as obesity and asthma.

The amount of time that has passed since the crime also matters. For example, if you have been convicted of two or more DWI/DUI offenses, you will have to wait 12 months from the date of the last conviction.

Be Honest with your Recruiter

If you want to make sure you don’t enlist, lie to your recruiter about a felony or another criminal offense. Even if you were arrested, but not changes, you still need to report this to your recruiter. Give them the 100% truth because if you get caught telling a lie, you will likely not have a chance of joining the military.

A few other crimes that will disqualify you include:

  • Getting drunk or being on drugs during the enlistment process
  • Getting kicked out of the military for alcohol/drug abuse
  • Three or more drunk driving convictions
  • Being on parole or probation
  • If you have a history of selling or using marijuana

You cannot use the military to escape pending charges. If you try to join, they will find out before you make it into the enlistment process.

Make sure you’re fully honest if you want to join the military. Felons may still have a chance, but you cannot lie about your crimes or you will lose your opportunity before the military recruiting process starts.

Filed Under: Military Recruiting, Top News Tagged With: Felons in the Military, Military Recruiting, Military Recruiting Felons

Recent Posts

  • What Makes Navy SEALs The Best Special Forces Operators in the World Today?
  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army
VA Loans

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Darion Wilson says

    November 2, 2018 at 9:38 am

    I have a serious crime is it possible if there is anyone to talk to about being recruited into the Air Force?

Primary Sidebar

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE

USMilitary.com is a privately owned website and is NOT AFFILIATED (or endorsed) with the U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, or DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

USMilitary.com Career Guide

Sign up to receive USMilitary.com email updates and to hear what's going on with all military branches!

Featured Columnists

Larry Fowler

Larry Fowler is the publisher of USMilitary.com Network one of America's premier privately owned

Do You Know The Army’s Most Dangerous Jobs?

Scott Ostrow

Lt Col (Dr.) Scott A. Ostrow retired from the Air Force in September 2005 and has been teaching

Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today

Kim Lengling

Kim Lengling is a Air Force Veteran whose passion is to help support veterans and their

This Memorial Day: The Knock On The Door

Dr. Sasha Toperich

Dr. Sasha Toperich is the Senior Executive Vice President at Transatlantic Leadership

Sarraj’s Dangerous Dance With Power

Rick Stewart

Rick Stewart is a former United States Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE)

Announcing American Patriots Unsung Magazine

Nathan B. Nelson

Capt (ret) Nathan B. Nelson is the Director of Military Affairs for the 1st Congressional district

Three Critical Considerations for Every Veteran Prior to Leaving Active Duty

Laquan Daniels

Laquan Daniel is a military recruiting expert with over 17 years of specialized experience in the

Important News For Military Transitioning Veterans

Veteran Buzz

High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

5 High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

July 2, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

High Paying Jobs Not Requiring a Degree

June 28, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

7 Best Military Careers That Lead To High Paying Civilian Jobs

June 10, 2018 By larryf

VA Loans

Footer

  • Advertise With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Write For US
  • Link to Us

Recent

  • What Makes Navy SEALs The Best Special Forces Operators in the World Today?
  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army

Search

© Copyright 2022 USMillitary
Web Design by Goebel Media Group


THIS IS A PRIVATE WEBSITE THAT IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, OR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE NOT REVIEWED THIS INFORMATION. THIS SITE IS NOT CONNECTED WITH ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY.