NCJ Number
146284
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 73 Issue: 3 and 4 Dated: special issue (September/December 1993) Pages: 307-318
Date Published
1993
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Boot camps were originally designed to reduce prison overcrowding, decrease recidivism rates, keep young offenders away from the chronic prison population, reduce incarceration costs, provide general deterrence and enhanced discipline, and rehabilitate offenders; Massachusetts inmates generally report that the boot camp environment helped them change their lives.
Abstract
Few researchers have closely examined the programs, services, and incarceration experiences of boot camps from the inmate's perspective. In Massachusetts, boot camps involve a 16-week modified therapeutic community program that focuses on the behavioral change of offenders. The boot camps combine a balance of military-style discipline, community service, and programming (substance abuse, adult basic education, wellness, and life skills). Massachusetts inmates receive about 30 hours of programming per week. All sessions begin and end with positive, upbeat music played at a high volume to stimulate motivation. During classes, classical music is used to produce an altered state of consciousness. Instructors frequently focus interactions on positive recovery-based themes. Inmate accounts of boot camp experiences indicate that boot camps provided them with a dynamic opportunity to change their lives. Troubled youths left boot camps with positive self-images, self-confidence, and awareness of their addiction and responsibilities. In addition, most left with positive behavior, family support, and good intentions to achieve identifiable goals. Positive changes, however, were quickly lost in the case of dysfunctional families and less than functional community environments. Further research is recommended to examine the totality of the boot camp experience. 11 references