Yes - I can appreciate what you say, Steff - but it is still not fair to the legions of young lads (and lasses) that screwed up just once for a 'minor' offence and have never done it again. I used to specialise in criminal law and worked in a specialist practice. We used to divide our workload in to two sections - driving offences and non- driving offences - of the non-driving offence clients, about 40% of our workload were first timers - about a third of those got convicted, usually with a non-custodial sentance - and about half of that group we would never hear from again, presumably they decided to 'go straight'. Many of those people (usually under 25) find it really hard to find a job because of their criminal record, which they are usually required to disclose when applying for work, and they are NEVER allowed in to the armed forces.
My point here is that if you make an exception for one, then you should follow through and change the rule so that anyone with a conviction could join the armed forces.
But would we want an army made up of convicts - possibly not! I certainly wouldn't. I don't care what the training is like, all I know that people who offend generally have a solipsistic way of looking at the world and all the training in the world won't change that. This lad, in particular, might have his natural proclivity for violence channelled by the army, but sooner or later there will come a time when he is not under 24 hour surveillance and then he will be a fully trained killing machine without a social conscience.
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Have you read this?
