NCJ Number
155675
Date Published
1995
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Recent research on shock incarceration programs reveals that these programs can achieve rehabilitation if they include strong treatment elements inside the boot camp, coordinated with community-based aftercare.
Abstract
The newer-generation boot camps emphasize problem-solving and anticriminal role-modeling and not just the strict military model of the first-generation camps. However, they do have the regimented structure and strict discipline of the earlier camps. Examples of the newer boot camps include the McNeil Island Work Ethic Camp in Washington, the Abraxas Leadership Development Program in Pennsylvania, and New York and Illinois programs. The camps improve inmate attitudes but not necessarily their recidivism rates, according to a recent Abt Associates study of the country's 60 boot camps. Programs that successfully reduced recidivism were longer and offered a greater array of treatments and services. The research also revealed that boot camps can reduce prison populations only if they meet four criteria. The researchers recommended only 2-3 hours of a 16-hour day for military components, 4-5 hours for counseling and drug treatment, and 4-5 hours for services such as education and parenting classes. However, national critics are concerned about widening the net and say that cost-reduction claims must be examined carefully. A media backlash has also occurred. Nevertheless, it is important to try to provide and improve alternative punishments. Photographs and list of suggestions for developing the best possible boot camp