NCJ Number
149175
Date Published
1994
Length
76 pages
Annotation
Boot camp programs are discussed.
Abstract
This report provides an overview of the latest available information about boot camp programs in the United States and describes research and development activities that are currently underway. For the purposes of this report, the term "boot camp" means a residential facility for delinquents or adult criminals that has made military- style structure, rules, and discipline a prominent part of its program. Work camps are not included. This report draws upon three primary sources of information: published and unpublished documents about boot camp efforts; a mail survey of State correctional departments in all 50 States and the District of Columbia, conducted in May-June 1993; and a telephone survey of State juvenile correction agencies, conducted in August 1992, as part of an ongoing evaluation of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Juvenile Boot Camp Demonstration. The authors conclude that, given the right circumstances, it appears that boot camps can reduce institutional costs and crowding. They, however, recommend that boot camp programs establish clear goals and priorities; conduct trial runs of the eligibility criteria and screening process; develop written policies and procedures; closely monitor compliance with the procedures; establish policies for handling failures or potential failures; invest in aftercare services; and evaluate the program periodically to determine whether it is being implemented as intended, to respond to problems, and later to determine whether longer run objectives are being attained. An appendix contains a sample survey form concerning boot camps. Bibliography