By the year 2000, there were over 70 correctional “boot camps” set up as an alternative to standard juvenile incarceration (Gruman et al, 2017). What are these boot camps? They were a military style correction method complete with uniforms, drills, PT, chains of command, manual labor and strict discipline (Gruman et al, 2017). While the concept may seem sound on paper, research has shown that these boot camps were largely a failure.
One problem with these boot camps is that they were not therapeutic. While some did offer life skills training and treatment for substance abuse, there was more of an emphasis on discipline and punishment. For this reason, many of the issues these young people were facing were never really addressed. Compared to something like the 1970s “Stay’n Out” program which emphasized clear goals and community building, these boot camps were only temporary solutions (Gruman et al, 2017). If we consider that the instilled discipline relies on the regimented nature of the boot camp, then it isn’t hard to imagine these juveniles returning to crime or antisocial behavior quickly after their time at the camp is over.
According to a paper written by the US Department of Justice Programs, these programs failed due to a number of reasons. Firstly, there was a lack of focus on preparing the offenders for re-entry into society (Wells, 2003). Secondly, there were policies that counteracted the appeal of these camps. Many prison inmates were drawn to boot camps because they offered the potential of a shorter sentence, but with the advent of early release policies these camps lost their appeal (Wells, 2003). And thirdly, boot camps were lacking in standards and coherent structure. This meant programs not rooted in theory or research, but more so rooted in the ideas of local politicians.
The final and possibly most important factor is money. These camps were resource intensive and many localities became tired of supporting them (Wells, 2003). Some prisons found that implementing similar programs seemed to reduce idleness in younger offenders and created a safer environment. While these programs may not have reduced recidivism, perhaps they can still be useful for creating safer prison environments. Boredom will always be an issue in a population of people locked away from the outside world, so perhaps this increased activity will help alleviate some of that boredom. This, in conjunction with therapeutic programs to help inmates prepare for the real world, may keep prisons safer and result in decreased recidivism.
Interestingly, there are still versions of these camps today. One of these I found online is called the “New Hope Wilderness Camp” which describes itself as a Christian tough-love camp designed to help troubled children ages 11-20 years old. I personally can’t imagine who in their right mind would send their kids to one of these, let alone pay for it, but apparently there is still a market for this sort of thing.
References
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE.
Wells, D. T. (2003). Boot Camps: Mixed Results. Office of Justice Programs. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/249035.pdf
Tough love camps for troubled kids. Teen Boot Camps. (2020, September 8). https://teenbootcamps.org/boot-camps/tough-love-camps-for-troubled-kids/
Very insightful! I think one of the factors that keep places like these open is that, while the children are there, they can appear to “work”. In an environment of strict discipline, a lot of the deviant behaviors that are a problem in the outside world no longer appear, because they have no opportunity to. However, like you said, once the children enter back into the regular world, they are even less prepared to curb their own impulses, because someone has been doing it for them. Additionally, the reason that camps like this still exist and are generally targets towards Christian families is simply that, on average, Christian families tend to follow an authoritarian style of parenting that mimics these camps.
Sources
Gruman, J.A., Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L.A. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.