# Does the UCMJ apply after you leave the military?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-ucmj-apply-after-you-leave-the-military/448561>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 8, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-ucmj-apply-after-you-leave-the-military/448561 "2008-05-08T14:28:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 10

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**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-ucmj-apply-after-you-leave-the-military/448561/10 "2008-05-08T21:08:02Z")

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[QUOTE=friedo]  
I was under the impression that the discharge did not occur until after the sentence had ended.  
[/QUOTE]

Apparently that’s not always the case. This JAG report discusses some cases involving discharged prisoners:

> [@](#):
>
> one of which involves a service-member who was discharged before his court-martial and who was on terminal leave when apprehended, are currently before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The appellate court should definitively decide the applicability of Feres to post-discharge military prisoners soon. These decisions will have broad ramifications for the USDB and all RCFs.

[http://www.armfor.uscourts.gov/annual/FY00/FY00ArmyReport.pdf](http://www.armfor.uscourts.gov/annual/FY00/FY00ArmyReport.pdf)

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