History Main / TradingBarsForStripes

* In the USSR during the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Great Patriotic War]] something similar happened: some inmates of TheGulag, mostly real small time criminals, were offered pardon in exchange for military service. Stalin simply applied WeHaveReserves to this trope. Some of the ''[[TheMafiya vor v zakone]]'' also joined; since this sort of thing violated their code, they weren't accepted back if they survived and returned, resulting in a post-WWII period of "Bitch Wars" in the gulags.

For this trope to apply the character in question must already be in legal custody and the only [[ThePardon option for freedom/absolution]] is military service. Unlike the BoxedCrook, they have to serve at least a full tour of duty to earn their pardon rather than go on a single SuicideMission. Unlike RecruitingTheCriminal, they're recruiting a caught rather than free criminal. For extra empathy points, the "criminal" is an innocent who wants to ClearMyName... and the government is perfectly willing to abuse that desperation.

There was [[TruthInTelevision truth to this]], at least in the USA. During the [[FirstWorldWar First]] and SecondWorldWar and even as late as the VietnamWar, it was not unusual for judges to [[LeonineContract offer this deal]] to those of [[{{Conscription}} draft age.]] Nowadays, this is more of a DiscreditedTrope as the US military normally bars those with a criminal history from joining, even if they were adjudicated as youthful offenders.

* This trope did occur in the USA prior to the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Judges offered those of draft age a choice of going to prison or joining the army. Nowadays, this is not allowed. Those with a criminal record can't join the US military, unless they obtain a hard-to-get waiver. This [[http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/joinprison.htm page on About.com]] even cites various official military regulations that bar any such enlistments.
** This troper served with more than one criminal on diversion, up to and including his time in Iraq. The thinking is that a criminal can prove they are moving towards rehabilitation by serving honorably; it also lessens overcrowding and gets them off the streets. Waivers are notably easy to get when [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WesternAnimation/Futurama?from=Main.Futurama War Were Declared.]]
** Even though this practice is extremely limited nowadays, the US military still sings marching cadences about it, like the popular "Go to war or go to jail". This troper also served with a few criminals, who got this trope as a special deal. The prosecutor agreed to formally drop the charges (so there's no record of conviction, so they could enlist), in exchange for the accused enlisting. If they broke the deal (didn't enlist, or washed out of Basic), the charges would be re-filed and prosecuted normally. It was only offered for first offenses (so there was no prior conviction record) for relatively minor crimes.
** The recent economic recession in the US has caused an influx of young people showing up at recruitment offices. As a result, the military can afford to be much more picky about who they allow in, and has raised their standards accordingly.

* In the USSR during the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Great Patriotic War]] something similar happened: some inmates of TheGulag, mostly real small time criminals, were offered pardon in exchange for military service. Some of the ''[[TheMafiya vor v zakone]]'' also joined; since this sort of thing violated their code, they weren't accepted back if they survived and returned, resulting in a post-WWII period of "Bitch Wars" in the gulags.

For this trope to apply the character in question must already be in legal custody and the only [[ThePardon option for freedom/absolution]] is military service. Unlike the BoxedCrook, they have to serve at least a full tour of duty to earn their pardon rather go on a single SuicideMission. Unlike RecruitingTheCriminal, they're recruiting a caught rather than free criminal. For extra empathy points, the "criminal" is an innocent who wants to ClearMyName... and the government is perfectly willing to abuse that desperation.

* In ColinPowell's autobiography he discusses this trope and how difficult it was to deal with, and how things have changed since the Vietnam era.

* Comes up occasionally in ''Series/JAG'', usually as a defendant's backstory. Coates was the most prominent example.

* This trope did occur in the USA prior to the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Judges offered those of draft age a choice of going to prison or joining the army. Nowadays, this is not allowed. Those with a criminal record can't join the US military, unless they obtain a hard-to-get waiver. This [[http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/joinprison.htm page on About.com]] even cites various official military regulations that bar any such enlistments.

* In the pilot episode of ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' Tom Paris was recruited by Captain Janeway from a prison for a dangerous mission into a hazardous nebula.

* Bruce Springsteen and ''Born in the USA'': "Got in a little hometown jam / So they put a rifle in my hand / Sent me off to a foreign land / To go and kill the yellow man"

* ''{{Atonement}}'': Robbie Turner gets falsely accused of having raped a 15-year old girl and is sent to prison. He's given the choice to join the army and invade WWII Europe. His lover Cecilia promises to wait for him. [[spoiler:[[ShootTheShaggyDog Both of them die before ever seeing each other again.]]]]

* Comes up occasionally in ''Series/Jag'', usually as a defendant's backstory. Coates was the most prominent example.

* Comes up occasionally in ''Series/JAG'', usually as a defendant's backstory. Coates was the most prominent example.

* the Dirlewanger SS Division. Dr. Oskar Dirlewanger was a Nazi mad political scientist and BoxedCrook who proposed to form an SS unit from arrested poachers (later expanded to include all kinds of arrested criminals). Eventually, Dirlewanger became the commander of his own division, an ArmyOfThievesAndWhores recruited from prisons and jails and infamous for cruelty.

* The Webcomic/{{SSDD}} has the faction called the CORE using convicted conscripts. The main character of the time travel arcs Tessa was conscripted for punching a police officer.

* The Ottoman Empire had bashi-bazouk, a type of irregular soldier [[OlderThanTheyThink dating back to the 1300s]]. They were recruited from criminals as well as homeless and vagrants. These irregulars did not receive a regular salary; their pay was solely whatever loot they could find or steal.

* ''Franchise/StarCraft'': Terran soldiers tend to be "neurally resocialized" convicts. Tychus Findley is a specific example who used to be a thief and an old friend of Raynor's, who was on ice for years before [[spoiler: Emperor Mengsk thawed him out and fitted him with armor that would kill him if removed so he could infiltrate the rebellion and assassinate Kerrigan.]]

* This trope did occur in the USA prior to the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Judges offered those of draft age a choice of going to prison or joining the army. Nowadays, this is not allowed. Those with a criminal record can't join the US military, unless they obtain a hard-to-get waiver.
** This [[http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/joinprison.htm page on About.com]] even cites various official military regulations that bar any such enlistments.

* The spirit of this trope is still used in certain prisons around the United States. Instead of doing time, you are given ONE chance (and only one chance) to go through an extremely intense boot camp-like training from the moment you step off the prison transport from the courtroom. They put you through the ringer. You will sleep when told to sleep, eat when told to eat, eat ''how'' they tell you to eat, go to the bathroom when they tell you too and for how long, put you through intense physical training that the regular army at one point considered to be normal, but now considers to be inhumane. Basically turn you into a mindless grunt. If you can survive about 3 months of this, the state will deem you worthy of returning to normal society, and your crimes will be absolved. If you slip up even once, you will have to serve your sentence. You can generally only do this if you were sent to prison for a non-violent crime in the first place though.
** To put it simply: it would be ''easier'' to deal with life in prison than it is to survive this training, but [[LeonineContract if you do]], [[EarnYourHappyEnding you're a free man]].

* The TV series ''GarrisonsGorillas'' chronicled the adventures of a group of convicts recruited into the U.S. Army by the offer of a post-war parole. Commanded by West Point graduate, Lt. Garrison, the "Gorillas" functioned as commandos behind Nazi lines.

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->"And?"
->"You know the army. You ask for one thing and [[PlaceWorseThanDeath they do the opposite.]]"

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For this trope to apply the character in question must already be in legal custody and the only [[ThePardon option for freedom/absolution]] is military service. Unlike the BoxedCrook, they have to serve at least a full tour of duty to earn their pardon rather go on a single SuicideMission. Unlike RecruitingTheCriminal, rather than recruiting a free criminal they've already been caught. For extra empathy points, the "criminal" is an innocent who wants to ClearMyName... and the government is perfectly willing to abuse that desperation.

There was [[TruthInTelevision truth to this]], at least in the USA. During the [[FirstWorldWar First]] and SecondWorldWar and even as late as the VietnamWar, it was not unusual for judges to [[LeonineContract offer this deal]] to those of draft age. Nowadays, this is more of a DiscreditedTrope as the US military normally bars those with a criminal history from joining, even if they were adjudicated as youthful offenders.