Ex Felons in the Army

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   Deonta86posted 14 years ago

   Would you be enlisted and share the same benefits as others by being an ex felon in the army.

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      Kimberly Bunchposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      To be honest I had thought about that years ago; about it, and that the service would be a great place to send them. (many of them) Especially out on the battle field. Only because they would be excellent warriors/fighters. With the right training, and proper individuals for the job I think they would be the best pick to accomplish winning a war hands down.
      
      Does anyone else agree with me on that one?
      
      ****************
      Oh and I don't think they could discriminate like that. Why would they give you less?! If you're in, than you are in!! With the same rights as everyone else.

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         befriendswithbeneposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I agree with you and that gives them a chance to redeemed themselves

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         dutchman1951posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Kimberly, I do not agree. I have served in War time, and just because you have a felon does not mean you are capable or battle ept.
         
         In truth I think some would do as well as any, and others would do much worse.  A Mix of results.
         
         It is a very different reality when  you jump of and head into a fire-fight,
         and as for Redemption, it comes to folks in many ways, not necessarly found or rooted in war.

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   2. 61

      Nat Amaralposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      That depends on the felon.  If they committed a non-voilent crome whose only intent is to serve in the line of duty in the army, then yes.  Better yet, maybe it's a mandatory part of their community service (possibly not--I don't know much about the army in that sense).
      
      However, if it's someone who committed a voilent crime (serial murder, rape), then absolutely not.  Those kinds of criminals should be behind bars for life.

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   bill yonposted 14 years ago

   the Army doesn't take felons.

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   1. 49

      befriendswithbeneposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The should

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      oogaboogaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      They used to not take them, but around 2004 the army was hurting for personnel, and made ALOT of waivers for various things.

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         Jim Hunterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         They haven't taken felons in many,many, many years.

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      Nat Amaralposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Seeing how they down't, that's nothing short of discrimination.

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3. 48

   astrologgieposted 13 years ago

   As a former soldier, I'd say no to felons.  What makes you want to train people who have taken the ultimate shortcuts in society to efficiently close and destroy others?  From my perspective, I want people around me I trust with my life, who also trust their lives to me, and felons have a lot more to prove than overcoming a social stigma. 
   
   Beginning in 1978,  the Army overcame the problems brought on by judges sentencing people to serve, looking the other way if they enlisted, etc, through a program called The Army of Excellence.  It takes smart, capable, and trustworthy people to succeed.  Keep felons out.

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   1. 50

      Jaymbeeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      My boyfriend has a felony conviction and has to register as a sex offender for sexual assault until 2013.  His crime?  Possibly sleeping with a "friend" (or frenemy) who was drunk at the time.  He was also drunk.  She came on to him.  This was in 2003.  I was at the party when the incident happened, he and I were only friends then.  The female "victim" was walking around naked popping xanax and guzzling vodka then next thing we all know she is straddling him on the couch and then lead him back to the bedroom.  Since she probably slept with 10 different men a week and was a stripper (who stripped illegally at the age of 16 til 18 when the incident occurred) no one thought anything of it.  Then the next morning she calls the cops saying she had a tampon in and that she had awakened next to my boyfriend and the tampon had been removed.  The cops investigating the case never asked any of the witnesses there what actually occurred.  There was no physical evidence, dna or otherwise, other than the missing tampon to show if anything ever even occurred! And neither remembered if they even had sex.  Yet he was 20 years old or so and did not know his rights at the time and could not afford an attorney.  He was being threatened with prison time ect. so he took a plea deal to avoid jail.  He was given probation and has to register as a sex offender until 2013.  It is a crime to have sex with a person who is inebriated in any way regardless of if you are inebriated as well.  So men take note of that, it may save you from a life of misery.  Don't take that drunk woman home who is crawling all over you at the bar.  But back to my story, the laws were changed due to the Adam Walsh act in 2008 and then all of a sudden my boyfriend is told that he has to register FOR LIFE as a sex offender after he was already convicted and sentenced to register for 10 years.  Not only that but instead of registering once a year, he had to go every 3 months and register not only in the county he lives in but in the county he worked in (which was not a short trip for us to make as their court house for that county is in the middle of nowhere).   He ended up losing his welding job over that because he had to work 12 hour shifts 6-7 days a week and had to call off to go register.  Ohio FINALLY decided to overturn the Adam Walsh act for people who were convicted before it was put into place, but it was too late. Oh not to mention the fact that his name and our address is plastered all over the community even though he is classified a non violent offender and has never re-offended or committed any other crimes.  Sexual assault is too broadly defined and is a Tier 3 offense right under rape.  Yet photographing nude children and other offenses against children are in Tier 1 and 2 categories.  It just amazes me.  My boyfriend would not hurt a fly, he has been a REAL father to my severely mentally disabled 6 year old autistic son and works with him better than any therapist or counselor ever could.  He is the hardest working man I've ever seen right next to my cattle farming city foreman grandfather.  Yet we are continuously punished and humiliated over this BS.  The reason I am telling my long and drawn out story is because not all felons are created equally.  It could happen to anyone, it could happen to your son or your brother or even you.

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      mimi39posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I was 15 when i was put out on my own, married a man i didnt love for a place to live n he beat me so badly..at 17 i am finally get away alive and now i have a baby and myself to feed an shelter with no support from anywhere. I sold drugs, my body, watever i had to do to survive at that time, young, underage and no skills, and i worked 2 fast food jobs that dont pay shit at that time. So i ended up becoming a felon for selling drugs to feed my own child. I now have went back to school to be a surgical tech graduated top of my class, did my clinicals at osu hospital. BUT.. because im an ex felon of 15 yrs ago for trying to survive when society didnt give a fuck about me an my baby, i cant even work at McDonalds. Y u ask? because simple minded people who think that every felon means that a person is ruined for life, no good , trash. When in reality the felons are the ones who have had to experience some realest shit life will throw at you. Now im not saying put weak minded drug users on the front lines but rather allow those who have changed and are trying to be a productive citizen the opportunity to do that. It kills me how the same people who dont wana let felons work or live anywhere and vote those laws in, are the same ones crying about your taxes taking care of us!! DAMN IT I DONT WANT YOUR F*CKIN WELFARE!!!!! I WANA MAKE MY OWN MONEY!!  I WANT TO WORK!!! im educated enough to assist your doctor in surgery and make my own money to buy me a home and pay my bills and buy my own food...but instead because of ignorant felon laws keeping me down i live in public housing getting food stamps and barely surviving on a fast food job. WAKE UP AMERICA!!!  Felons are not the problem here, look in the mirror, look at you politicians, your corporate business owners, stepping on people all the time, but its ok cause they making the money using you. Out of every 100 felons that are released only 10 of those shouldnt have cs they really are sick minded, 50 of them will re commit a crime ONLY because society has shut the door on them and they know no other way to survive, and the other 40 will prolly never make the same mistakes again. And now a days you can become a felon just defending yourself from the real sicko who may never have a record. Predudice in ALL ITS FORMS is still IGNORANCE!!! People only fear what they do not know, if you really wana know about felons, meet some, it mite just be the guy next to you on the bus, or that new resteraunt owner in town, or the man who mows your lawn every week that you offer a drink and smoke a cig with on his break....   YOU JUST MIIGHT BE AMAZED!!!  NOT ALL FELONS ARE BAD PEOPLE!!!!  And on that note, i know more people who are felons that would have my back through thick an thin in war than half of these so called ALL AMERICANS....we are a strong breed more so because of what we endure every day right here in our own country, and yet we still overcome everytime one of us opens our own bsns.  Its all good though caus at the rate its going, felons will be most of the future bosses, you just might find yourself working for one someday...lmbo...

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4. 53

   mimi39posted 13 years ago

   If a felon can pass an aptitude test and displays the ability to do the job applied for, They should be allowed the same opportunity to do so!! The system has went from a rehabilitation state of mind to just strictly punishment. What do you think punishment does?? it rehabilitates..but it will never matter if society dont give them a chance to prove it. im jus saying!!

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5. 0

   Will Bensonposted 13 years ago

   This story was carried on CNN on Apr 21, 2008:
   
   “…He (John P. Boyce Jr. of Army Public Affairs) said the Army never issues waivers for some types of offenses, including sexual violence, alcoholism and drug trafficking.
   
   But the Pentagon statistics showed the Army allowed 106 convicted burglars to enlist in 2007, up from 36 the year before. It also granted waivers to 43 recruits convicted of aggravated assault that year, up from 33 a year before; and to 130 people convicted of possession of drugs other than marijuana, a rise from 71 in 2006.
   
   It also allowed two people convicted of making terrorist or bomb threats to enlist in 2007, up from one the year before.” (-CNN)
   
   I didn’t see any newer stats on this, but some forum posts claimed that there is now a waiting list for enlistment (due to the bad economy) so these waivers are no longer given. (Does anyone have any newer info on this??)
   
   Regarding the all volunteer service: If something is important enough to go to war for, then it’s important enough for wartime measures, i.e. a draft. EVERYONE should be eligible -- no college deferments, women drafted also, no cake military assignments for “important“ connected people. There would be no need for felony waivers to fill the ranks.
   
   Similarly, if an international conflict isn’t important enough to justify a military draft, then maybe it’s not important enough to go to war over in the first place.
   
   My thoughts.

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6. 79

   psycheskinnerposted 13 years ago

   Once someone has served their time they should be treated equally to anyone else.

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