united-states military criminal-record juvenile-law
Is it possible for someone with juvenile felony charge (not conviction) to join the military?
<p>If someone were charged with a felony in the US (e.g. sexual assault, harassment, or murder) as a juvenile, but they're not convicted (their case or the charges were dropped), can they join the military after they turn 18? If not, then why?</p>

<p>According to the <a href="https://m.goarmy.com/learn.m.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">US Army</a>'s web site, which gives an overview of the entry requirements, the minimum age is 17 and it seems that only felony <em>convictions</em> and juvenile <em>offences</em> are a bar to recruitment - however the Army Recruiter should be able to confirm whether or not dropped charges fall in to these categories or exclude a candidate for any other reason.</p>
<p><strong>Section 1</strong> &quot;meeting with a recruiter&quot; section includes this:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Your local recruiter will conduct a prescreening to see if you qualify for enlistment. At the recruiting station, he or she will ask you about your:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Education level </p>
</li>
<li><p><strong>Criminal history</strong> </p>
</li>
<li><p>Age </p>
</li>
<li><p>Marital/dependency status </p>
</li>
<li><p>Physical condition</p>
</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>And one of the &quot;<em>see if you pre-qualify</em>&quot; quick-quiz questions asks if one's age is between 17 and 34</p>
<p><strong>Section 2</strong>, &quot;required documents&quot;, includes this:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The U.S. Army makes every attempt to assess the moral quality of potential recruits. To this end, a thorough background check is done on all prospects.</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>It is imperative that you disclose all legal offenses</strong></p>
</li>
<li><p><strong>Felony convictions will result in candidates being exclude</strong></p>
</li>
<li><p>Drug and domestic violence charges will exclude candidates (Some minor drug offenses may be waived on a case-by-case basis)</p>
</li>
<li><p><strong>Juvenile offenses will also exclude you</strong></p>
</li>
<li><p>Certain Army jobs requiring higher security clearance may necessitate more thorough investigations</p>
</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
