Can you have a criminal record and still join the marines?

Answer 1

Here is what the military officially has to say about moral standards of enlistment:

• Persons entering the Armed Forces should be of good moral character. The underlying purpose of moral character enlistment standards is to minimize entrance of persons who are likely to become disciplinary cases or security risks or who disrupt good order, morale, and discipline. Moral standards of acceptability for service are designed to disqualify the following kinds of persons:
• Individuals under any form of judicial restraint (bond, probation, imprisonment, or parole).
• Those with significant criminal records.
• Persons convicted of felonies may request a waiver to permit their enlistment. The waiver procedure is not automatic, and approval is based on each individual case. One of the considerations in determining whether a waiver will be granted is the individual's ability to adjust successfully to civilian life for a period of time following his or her release from judicial control.
• In processing waiver requests, the Military Services shall require information about the "who, what, when, where, and why" of the offense in question; and a number of letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant's character or suitability for enlistment. Such letters must be from responsible community leaders such as school officials, ministers, and law enforcement officials.
• Those who have been previously separated from the Military Services under conditions other than honorable or for the good of the Service.
• Those who have exhibited antisocial behavior or other traits of character that would render them unfit to associate with military personnel.

In other words, the sort of person who commits crimes is usually not the sort of person we want guarding our country. However, it may be possible, depending on what crime you committed, to obtain a waiver and join the Marines. You should ask your local recruiter how to go about that process.