Selective Service Without a Draft

More than one million young men have failed to register for the draft, thereby committing a felony which carries a maximum five-year prison sentence and $10,000 fine. Unless a vigorous enforcement program is implemented soon, draft registration may evolve into a de facto voluntary program. Yet vigorous enforcement implies significant social, economic, and political costs. Would the costs be worth shouldering or is it more sensible to abandon draft registration, or at least the current face-to-face program? This article examines the history of the draft registration law to illuminate how we have arrived at the present dilemma.