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 from 249 in 2006 to 511 in 2007. And the number of Marines with felonies rose from 208 to 350.
The Navy posted a drop, with 48 in 2006 and 42 for 2007. Most felony waivers were for a variety of thefts or drug and drunken-driving convictions. Two in 2007 were for terror or bomb threats compared with three in 2006.
According to the data released Monday, a bit more than half of the Army’s 511 convictions in 2007 were for various types of thefts, ranging from burglaries to bad checks and stolen cars. Another 130 were for drug offenses.
The remainder, however, included two in 2007 for manslaughter, compared with one in 2006; five for sexual crimes (which can include rape, incest or sexual assaults) compared with two in 2006; and three for negligent or vehicular homicide, compared with two in 2006. Two received waivers for terrorist threats including bomb threats in 2007, compared with one in 2006.
At least 235 of the Marine Corps’ 350 waivers were for various types of thefts in 2007, and another 63 were for assaults or robberies that may also have included use of a weapon. The remainder included one for manslaughter in 2007, compared with none in 2006; four for sex crimes, compared with one in 2006; and five for terror threats, including bomb threats, compared with two in 2006.
There were no Air Force recruits with waivers for felony convictions in 2007.
Waivers must be approved by an officer who is ranked as a brigadier general or above, and recruits must have written recommendations and endorsements from community leaders showing they would be a good bet for the military.
“Waivers are used judiciously and granted only after a thorough review,” said Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington.
He added that “low unemployment, a protracted war on terror, a decline in propensity to serve,” and the growing reluctance of parents, teachers and other adults to recommend young people go into the military, has made recruiting a challenge.
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