NCJ Number
165609
Date Published
1996
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Rapid growth in the number of incarcerated women, recognition of their unique needs, and longstanding awareness of gender differences in prison and jail programs have caused considerable concern about gender equality in the development of boot camp programs.
Abstract
Boot camps are generally designed for young, nonviolent offenders at their first felony conviction. Because boot camp participants have been overwhelmingly male, correctional officials did not immediately adopt boot camps for women. In the interest of parity, however, boot camps for women should offer effective programming, recognizing that women's access to programs in correctional settings is generally less than that of men, that programming for women is shaped by stereotypical beliefs about women's lives, and that inept programming fails to address the unique needs of women. Variations in boot camp programs designed to address the needs of women are considered, ideal characteristics of boot camp programs for female participants are described, and a model for future boot camp programs for women is presented that incorporates such components as program length, mandatory participation, confinement, offender discipline and removal, treatment and services, and aftercare. 28 references and 1 photograph