NCJ Number
96686
Date Published
1984
Length
157 pages
Annotation
This text describes the Vocational Diver Training program at the California Institute for Men at Chino.
Abstract
The history of the program is addressed, and the program philosophy is discussed. The selection of inmates for the program is analyzed: each candidate must perform 50 situps, 50 pushups, and 50 squats in under 5 minutes, and must run a mile in under 9 minutes. Other considerations affecting selection, such as age, dangerousness, and drug offenses, are noted. Reasons for the high dropout rate among program participants -- only about half complete training -- are explored. Class work and physical training of the inmates are discussed. The assignment of each inmate to a 'buddy' is explained, and the positive effects of the development of camaraderie among the diver trainees is described. Attention is focused on some of the special assignments that each team had to complete. The requirements necessary for open water scuba certification are examined, and the four ocean dives made by the inmates to obtain certification are addressed. The employment potential of program graduates is considered, and their low recidivism rates are discussed. Finally, the migration of many Chino graduates to New Orleans, and their success there, are described. Approximately 50 photographs are included.