Boot Camps

Abstract

One of the newest and fastest-growing correctional programs is the militay-style boot camps for young first offenders. It is generally held that short-term, intensive programs of hard work, military drill, and treatment will result in reduced recidivism. This paper briefly explores the origins of the boot camp concept and the application of its principles to juvenile delinquents in the form of 0utward Bound programs and offers an eight-point critique of the concept itself. The paper concludes with an alternative which the author claims is potentially as effective as, but much less costly than, boot camps: a combination of intermittent incarceration supplemented by intensive probation supervision, with intermittent incarceration lasting for at least six months and comprised of a "no frills" camp for one week, followed by weekends gradually spaced further apart as time progresses.