The one C.O. I know who went to jail rather than Vietnam went to jail because of his beliefs. Unlike others I know, he was not allowed to do alternative service (work in a hospital, etc), and was sent from Minnesota to a "hard-time" prison in Texas. I don't know why this was, perhaps he was being made an "example" for other potential C.O.'s. He was a man of principle, and although I haven't seen him for some time, I know from mutual friends and from his published writings that he still is.