Boot Camps

Angela R. Gover & Doris Layton MacKenzie

Modeled after military boot camps, where strict discipline, rigorous physical training, and unquestioning obedience to authority transform raw recruits from citizen to soldier, correctional boot camps hope to divert inmates from a life of crime by creating a similarly regimented environment that teaches them accountability and responsibility for their actions. Although the approach remains controversial, and the literature raises doubts about their effectiveness, boot camps are unquestionably popular among the public, politicians, and the correctional community. Since their inception in Georgia and Oklahoma in 1983, there has been an explosion in the number, size, and variety of programs. Today, many state and local governments, as well as the Federal Bureau of Prisons, use this correctional option; boot camps are now found in adult prisons, youth facilities, and county jails. Although they were originally designed solely as an alternative sanction for young males bound for prison, boot camps are increasingly being ...

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