NCJ Number
213496
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 34 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2006 Pages: 27-38
Date Published
January 2006
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the characteristics of inmates that differentiated graduates from dropouts and dismissals from a boot camp program in a Southern State.
Abstract
The findings indicated that 23.5 percent of the participants who entered boot camp during the study either dropped out or were dismissed. Those who dropped out chose to serve out the remainder of their sentence in prison rather than complete the boot camp program. Multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated that graduates of boot camp could be distinguished from those who were dismissed or dropped out. Inmates who had more social bonds such as employment, income, and martial status, as well as certain personal assets like self-efficacy, were more likely to graduate boot camp. Moreover, drug abuse was more prevalent among those dismissed and who dropped out of the program. The findings support the life-course theory which asserts that personal assets and social bonding enhance chances of graduation. The findings also suggest that boot camp programs are not effective for offenders who need drug treatment. Participants were 784 inmates who enrolled in a boot camp program as an alternative to prison. Participants completed questionnaires that asked about demographic information, religiosity, self-efficacy, peer associations, physical and sexual abuse, attachment and social bonds, gang membership, and drug abuse. Future research should focus on the viability of boot camps. Tables, appendix, references