Policy for military service in lieu of jail time?

I have read several other responses, including one such person that indicates such policy ceased at the end of the Vietnam War. I served in the US Army from 1979-1983 and served with several that had been convicted of violent crimes, and had chosen the military over jail time when given the choice. The Army also had a retraining brigade for violent repeat offenders in the hope that tough discipline and training would "cure" them.