Corps to ban recruits with prior sex offenses

[CommunityEditor]

With the expansion to 202,000 active-duty Marines now complete, the Corps will cut recruiters in the coming year and ban anyone with a past sex offense from joining the service, Recruiting Command’s top officer said.

Maj. Gen. Robert Milstead said in early October that the Corps will no longer allow anyone with a felony or misdemeanor sexual offense to enlist, even if there are extenuating circumstances, and will admit far fewer recruits who perform poorly on the Armed Services Vocational Battery test.

“We’ve tightened up for this year. We just won’t take them,” Milstead said of those with a previous sex offense. “It’s just not worth the churn. Even if it’s a great guy, it’s just not worth it on this playing field with the media. We just don’t need it.”

From October 2006 through June 2008, the Corps allowed eight recruits to enlist with felony sex convictions on their record, according to statistics released by the Marine Corps through the Freedom of Information Act. Milstead said that in some of those cases, the Corps decided to give a recruit a second chance after discovering the crime involved an 18- or 19-year-old having a romantic relationship with a girl who fell short of the legal age of consent. That won’t be happen anymore, he said.

The decision is part of an adjustment to refine recruiting across the Corps. Next year, the mission is to find 35,868 enlisted recruits, the fewest in at least five years. Aided in part by robust retention, the Corps got so far ahead of the curve in meeting the 202K recruiting mission that it was reduced from more than 40,000 to 36,696 during 2009, Marine officials said.

Overall, the Corps exceeded the 2009 goal with 37,114 enlisted recruits. And many more are coming in with a high school-equivalent education. That figure rose to 98.5 percent this past year, up 2.2 percentage points from 2008 and the highest percentage in at least four years.

As part of the post-202K reality, recruiting command has volunteered to release 284 of the 600 recruiters added to help with the buildup, including 134 this year, Milstead said. It won’t be a problem, he said: The Corps has thousands of recruits scheduled for all of its boot camp slots through the end of January, and has a large group of poolees, meaning recruiters can be more selective on who is shipped.


Article: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news...iting_101309w/

[MBT]

It doesn't matter, they couldn't get in before. Just because it was "possible" to join with a waiver, doesn't guarantee it would ever happen. Applicants with waivers are DISQUALIFIED. The waiver process is what qualifies them. People get denied waivers just as fast as they get approved and I have NEVER seen anyone approved with any kind of sex offense. Not the Marines at least.

[navysailor2004]

why the hell was it even "possible" for them to join before, thats insain. yeah let them join and send them up to the freaking front lines or afghanistan, with no weapons, or armor.

[MACHINE666]

From October 2006 through June 2008, the Corps allowed eight recruits to enlist with felony sex convictions on their record, according to statistics released by the Marine Corps through the Freedom of Information Act. Milstead said that in some of those cases, the Corps decided to give a recruit a second chance after discovering the crime involved an 18- or 19-year-old having a romantic relationship with a girl who fell short of the legal age of consent. That won’t be happen anymore, he said.

Hmm...I can understand not giving a date rapist the opportunity to join the military, but some 18 year old high school senior whose sweetheart is 15 if mom and dad decide to get a wild hare up their ass and decide he's no good for their daughter? I know a girl who is 16 and her boyfriend is 20. Her parents are well aware of their involvement, and he's even trying to join the Air Force soon. Let's just hope for his sake that everything works out for the better in that relationship....

[navysailor2004]

Originally Posted by MACHINE666

Hmm...I can understand not giving a date rapist the opportunity to join the military, but some 18 year old high school senior whose sweetheart is 15 if mom and dad decide to get a wild hare up their ass and decide he's no good for their daughter? I know a girl who is 16 and her boyfriend is 20. Her parents are well aware of their involvement, and he's even trying to join the Air Force soon. Let's just hope for his sake that everything works out for the better in that relationship....

those are the very few situations i can understand.

[navysailor2004]

then again...thats why you dont date someone under 18....it should be common sense.

[MACHINE666]

From an adult's perspective you know better than to mess around with underage girls (or should know better at the very least), but take a sitch where that 18 year old kid has known the 15 year old girl for 2 years...he met her at church camp when he was 16 and she was 14....they're 2 1/2 years apart in age difference. I can guarantee you the majority of high school kids out there can't fathom life as a grown up and all its responsibilities, and they're not going to be thinking about the 'what if's when they're legally an adult. Just sayin'....

[MBT]

Sex offenses cover a wide variety of things these days though. That's what you don't understand. I just came off of recruiting duty so you see all kinds of charges on great kids that should never have happened. I had to tell a kid no because he was convicted of a "sex crime" when he was 14 or 15 for slapping a girl on her ass so don't think these are all "adults" preying on children cause that just isn't the case. I think that kid was charged with sexual battery. There are tons of kids out there that are sex offenders for doing stupid stuff when they were only 14 or so years old themselves. It's not as if a kid that age really understands the ramifications of what he's doing nor does he fully understand the impact it will have on the rest of his life.
Kids these days are having sex younger and younger. The problem is if they are 14 or younger (depending on the state), it doesn't matter what the kids say cause they aren't old enough to tell the difference between right and wrong. So, say you had a 15 year old daughter and my son was 14. I caught them having sex and filled charges. Outcome was your daughter put on probation and had to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life. Tell me, is she really a sex offender though? Happens all the time. Just usually the guy is 15.

[MBT]

You are all talking as if sex offenders are only adults preying on children and that is just not the case. I just came off recruiting duty and I saw all kinds of so called "sex offenses" that I didn't agree with. I had to tell a kid no because he slapped a girl on her ass when he was 14 years old because he was charged with "sexual battery". Where is the justice in that? Do you really think that kid meant any harm at all nor did he fully understand that one little incident would impact the rest of his life the way it has.
Kids are having sex younger and younger these days. Just a fact. The problem is that if they are young as 14 in some states, they can't tell the difference between right and wrong in the eyes of the law regardless if it is consensual. Meaning, if I caught your 15 year old daughter and my 14 year old son having sex, I could press charges. Her charge would be something like "Indecency with a child" along with "Sex with a Minor". Outcome would probably be probation for your daughter along with her having to register as a sex offender. However, the guy is usually the older one but regardless, is that right?
I also know that there are allot of real sex offenders out there and I'm not defending them. I guess my point is before you judge these eight people that got in, you should find out the real story cause who knows, you might be good friends with one of them.

[MeatWad247]

Its funny how criminal offences is put before ASVAB scores. I guess they are easier to brain wash that way...