NCJ Number
165590
Date Published
1996
Length
384 pages
Annotation
This compilation of papers on juvenile and adult offender boot camps emphasizes the positive effects of boot camps on positive development and change in participants; the research indicates boot camp participants report being drug free and physically healthy, have supportive interactions with staff, and engage in constructive activities.
Abstract
Although boot camps generally share the commonality of a long, intensive schedule of daily activities in programs that emphasize discipline and structure, boot camps differ in many other ways. For example, boot camps use different methods to provide drug treatment and education. A controversial aspect of boot camps is their emphasis on punishment, and psychologists familiar with behavior change emphasize the fact that programs successful in changing behavior use a high ratio of rewards to punishment. The number of juvenile boot camps is growing rapidly, but these camps should not borrow too heavily from adult boot camps because many of the issues are very different for juveniles. Jail boot camp programs encounter such problems as length of stay and the identification of appropriate participants. Other issues associated with boot camps include equality for women and girls, the impact of boot camps on criminal and prosocial activities of participants after they return to the community, the political nature of boot camps, the cost-effectiveness of boot camps, and staff training. Written as a planning guide, the compilation of papers is intended to help policymakers, planners, and administrators involved in the design and evaluation of effective boot camp programs. Tips for using the planning guide are offered, challenges associated with designing an effective boot camp program are noted, and examples of adult and juvenile boot camp programs are described. An appendix lists boot camps accredited by the American Correctional Association References, notes, tables, figures, and photographs