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Criminal Conduct

The Concern: A history or pattern of criminal activity creates doubt about a person's judgment, reliability and trustworthiness.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying include:
1. Allegations or admissions of criminal conduct, regardless of whether the person was formally charged;
2. A single serious crime or multiple lesser offenses;
3. Conviction in a Federal or State court, including a court martial of a crime, sentenced to imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and incarcerated as a result of that sentence for not less than a year; or
4. Discharge or dismissal from the Armed Forces under dishonorable condition.

Conditions that could mitigate security concerns include:
1. The criminal behavior was not recent;
2. The crime was an isolated incident;
3. The person was pressured or coerced into committing the act and those pressures are no longer present in that person's life;
4. The person did not voluntarily commit the act and/or the factors leading to the violation are not likely to recur;
5. Acquittal; or
6. There is clear evidence of successful rehabilitation.
7. Potentially disqualifying conditions 3 and 4, above, may not be mitigated unless, where meritorious circumstances exist, the officials designated by the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of the Military Department concerned or as delegated has granted a waiver.