It's a fair question, but in other contexts this hasn't worked out. At judges' discretion, America funneled some number of criminals into the military pipeline

It's a fair question, but in other contexts this hasn't worked out. At judges' discretion, America funneled some number of criminals into the military pipeline up until the end of Vietnam. The recruits would often have antisocial tendencies and did not follow orders well (surprise...criminals don't obey social constructs like chain of command). Russia is doing the same through the Wagner group, but they've learned to just use the convicts as first-wave cannon fodder so they're minced before they can get rebellious. This "band of rogues" stuff makes for fun television but falls short in practice. Hence this article.