[ApplegateRanch]

If you arm every prisoner in the country and give him or her a free ticket to freedom if thye would pick up and fight you bet they will have an army

No! What you would have is a mob, at best.

An army is disciplined, and works together as a unit.

These thugs would mostly be at each other's throats as much as anything else.

At the first opposition to their "army", the "battle" would resemble what happened to the Midianites when Gideon and his 300 attacked their camp. (Judges 7)

[lapsus calami]

 

 

Undisciplined rabble I think is the term. And you are right - there's no honor among thieves. A disciplined and properly positioned small force would scatter them like quail every time. After getting put through a meat grinder a time or two they would lose stomach for such nonsense rather quickly, much like Midianites.

 

 

[Tax-chick]

Whoops, I should have read your much-cleverer post before I added mine.