Juvenile Bootcamps

Boot camp is an alternative to incarceration. In this paper I will prove that Boot Camps for youthful offenders does in fact work. Boot camps started in the early 1888 by Warden Zebulon Brockway at the Elmira Reformatory located in Elmira, New York. The warden did this because he wanted to invoke a new way of disciplining and keeping the inmates active. The reasoning that this style of imprisonment worked was because there were virtually no prison guards which saved thousands of dollars. Another reason that it worked was because the men would work day and night producing quality goods that were much less then the competitors. Yates Law prohibited the inmates from competing in the open market which eventually lead to the end of the military like structure. Another reason for and end of this type of incarceration was due to World War I. Prior to the war local citizens were invited to the facility to witness the military like drills and ceremonies. As soon as the war ended the people didn’t like the military which shut down the program.

The United States Army used basic training to rehabilitate soldiers who committed crimes. They used this system because prisons were overcrowded and very expensive. This way reduced the cost and allowed the return of 42,000 soldiers into active duty.

In 1965 shock incarceration was developed in Ohio. This was an attempt to “shock” inmates by making them think twice about what they were going to do. The length the incarceration was on for 90-180 days. An analysis of the program in Ohio proved to be successful. There was a 130 percent less recidivism then those with prior records.

In Kentucky they had the highest rates of rearrest, reconviction and the return to prison. There reincarceration rare was only 21.4 percent. This was consistent with the finking form other shock probation programs that were heralded as effective (Vito and Ellis).

The First Juvenile boot camp was established in 1985 in Orleans Parish, Louisiana. The kids who were accepted into boot camps were between the ages of 17-26 and the offence had to be one that was nonviolent or less then one first degree offense.

Boot camp incorporates military drill and ceremonies and physical training. After care is now one of the steps in a successful program. Most states now