NCJ Number
127370
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 11 Issue: 5 Dated: (November 1986) Pages: 1,8-11
Date Published
1986
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes the activities and impact of Oklahoma's Regimented Inmate Discipline (RID) program which uses a military regime for young first offenders to build self-esteem and personal accountability.
Abstract
RID participants are subjected to tough physical conditioning, rigid dress codes, stiff grooming and hygiene standards, severe limitations on personal property, structured leisure and recreation activities, early lockdown, minimized idleness, intensive vocational and educational testing, and considerable drug and stress counseling. Offenders who successfully comply with the regime influence the severity and length of their sentence. A study of the first 291 offenders to complete the RID program indicates that approximately 14 percent failed the program and were transferred to other State institutions for extended incarceration; approximately 21 percent were transferred to a minimum-security facility for skill training or some other program prior to release; 25 percent were transferred to a community treatment center for work release; and 35 percent were released directly to the streets with intensive supervision. The recidivism rate at the time was approximately 3.5 percent. A later study showed a recidivism rate of 15.6 percent, far below the nationwide average of 40-45 percent for prison releasees. Critics of the "boot camp" concept argue that it nurtures a "Rambo" identity for participants which is inappropriate for a constructive lifestyle in the community.