NCJ Number
75278
Date Published
1960
Length
65 pages
Annotation
Information on organizing and administering camps for delinquent boys is presented as a guide for officials who are surveying the possibility of establishing such camps or seeking to improve their operations.
Abstract
More than 20 percent of the States are now operating camps as part of a diversified program for the treatment of young male offenders. Although the camps' programs vary, all have in common certain basic elements, including an informal, unregimented atmosphere; minimum security measures; and a relatively small group of resident boys. Most of the camps emphasize outdoor work, usually conservation and are likely to be located in forests or near lakes and streams. Although considerable diversity is possible among camps, boys in a given camp should be in about the same phase of development and the same level of adjustment. Selection of boys for the camp should be guided by the information contained in the social assessment, psychological tests, and psychiatric interviews conducted by the parent organization. Activities of the camp program should include recreation, work, education, and the provision of health and spiritual services. The staff's efforts to establish friendly relationships with the boys should begin as soon as they are brought to camp, and the staff must exercise good judgment in making cabin assignments. A variety of treatment approaches involving various techniques are implemented in counseling efforts. These techniques include observing, listening, asking direct questions, providing information, giving reassurance and support, and confronting the boy with the realities of his situation. The administrative organization of a camp should facilitate coordination and integration of all program components. Usually the parent organization determines the general camp program. Forty-nine footnotes are provided.