People with criminal records in the United States continue to face limited employment opportunities due to social stigma and legal barriers. In contrast to the civilian sector, the military conducts a “whole person” evaluation to screen potential recruits and regularly hires people with felony and misdemeanor records. Moreover, evidence suggests that the military serves as a socially integrative institution and may facilitate desistance from future crimes. However, critics argue that the military exacerbates inequalities by subjecting marginalized communities to the unequal burden of service. Using the data obtained from the Army, we examine the relative risks of combat exposure and casualties between enlisted soldiers with and without criminal records who joined between 2002 and 2009. The results suggest that soldiers with felony and misdemeanor records are more likely to be assigned to combat occupations than those without criminal records. We also find that among soldiers assigned to positions with low combat exposure, ex‐offenders face a higher risk of death compared to those without criminal records. Findings do not dispute the idea that the military facilitates desistance from future crimes and provides second chances to people with criminal records, but reaffirm the fact that military service costs lives and limbs.

中文翻译：

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你会为你的国家而死吗？大规模监禁时代的工作场所死亡

由于社会的污名和法律障碍，在美国有犯罪记录的人继续面临有限的就业机会。与民用部门相反，军方进行“全人”评估，以筛选潜在的新兵并定期雇用有重罪和轻罪记录的人。此外，有证据表明，军队是一个社会融合机构，可能有助于制止未来的犯罪。但是，批评者认为，军方使边缘化社区承受着不平等的服务负担，从而加剧了不平等现象。利用从陆军获得的数据，我们研究了有和没有犯罪记录的入伍士兵在2002年至2009年之间加入作战的相对风险和人员伤亡。结果表明，具有重罪和轻罪记录的士兵比没有犯罪记录的士兵更有可能被分配从事战斗工作。我们还发现，与没有犯罪记录的士兵相比，在被分配到较低战斗暴露位置的士兵中，前罪犯面临更高的死亡风险。调查结果并不反对这样一种观点，即军队促进了未来犯罪的中止，并为有犯罪记录的人提供了第二次机会，但是重申了兵役造成生命和肢体损失的事实。