NCJ Number
219645
Journal
The Prison Journal Volume: 87 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2007 Pages: 227-240
Date Published
June 2007
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effectiveness of a boot camp program in terms of recidivism for juveniles waived to criminal court in a Northwestern State.
Abstract
Findings from this study suggest that when controlling for age, race, offense type, and criminal history, waived juveniles sentenced to a boot camp facility, known as the rider program were less likely to reoffend than those offenders sentenced to probation. Prior research suggests that juveniles waived to criminal court are typically sentenced to prison or probation. Boot camps represent an intermediate sanction that is typically reserved for young, first-time offenders, making waived youth probable candidates for a boot camp sentence. Boot camps, whether juvenile or adult specific, have been shown to be effective in reducing recidivism in some areas but ineffective in others. The waiver of juveniles to adult criminal court, an increasing phenomenon in recent years, transfers young offenders out of the juvenile system and into the adult criminal justice system, where the range of sanctions is presumably greater. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of the rider program, in terms of recidivism, for juveniles waived to criminal court in a rural northwestern State. The target population for the study included all juveniles waived to criminal court between 1995 and 1999 who were sentenced to the rider program or probation. Tables, references