It seems like almost every day I’m answering questions about joining the military while facing a misdemeanor charge. A lot of clients and potential clients have this common problem. The good news is that we have options.
No branch of the military wants to be known as an easy way out of a crime, so we can’t use joining the military as a defense to a charge; however, most prosecutors are reasonable and don’t want a youthful indiscretion to keep people from pursuing a career in the military. That’s where we may have some leverage.
To answer the question about being on a first offender program: No, you cannot normally join the military while you’re encumbered by any type of community service requirements, good behavior, probation, or even unsupervised probation. The military normally will not take you if you have any kind of court requirements like that over your head. A first offender program for possession of marijuana or underage possession of alcohol would certainly count as a requirement over your head.
What do we do? That’s why you need to call me, so we can explore the best options for your case if you’re trying to join the military and you have a misdemeanor charge. We can see about what options we may have to minimize the damage to your record, but also to try to minimize the damage to your future military career. We can try to end any requirements with the court as soon as we can, so you could hopefully be free to still join the military. If you’re facing this issue, definitely give me a call today so we can discuss your options.
Photo by: The U.S. Army