NCJ Number
150737
Date Published
1993
Length
41 pages
Annotation
This study examined five "boot camp" prisons and explored their potential for reducing prison crowding in the State correctional system.
Abstract
Five States -- Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, and South Carolina -- participated in an evaluation. The general study had three major components: a process evaluation, a study of offender changes, and an examination of the potential impact of the programs on prison crowding. This report focuses only on the potential impact of the programs on prison crowding. Offenders incarcerated in each of the five boot camp prisons were separated from general- population inmates in a military-like regime that emphasized strict rules and discipline, including participation in drills and physical training. Program differences were in the emphasis on and characteristics of the treatment element, such as counseling, education, and vocational training. So as to examine differences among programs, the study constructed flowcharts for each site to describe the process of selection, rejection, dismissal, and completion for each shock program. The model used to estimate bed-space needs was based on the model developed by MacKenzie and Parent (1991) to estimate the impact of Louisiana boot camp programs on the prison beds needed to accommodate the inmates entering prison. The study concludes that boot camp prisons do not significantly impact prison crowding by reducing recidivism rates unless this is combined with a program that shortens the prison term of offenders who would otherwise serve traditional prison terms. 20 references and 7 figures