Essay on Boot Camp

The issue that I plan to take on in this research proposal is rehabilitation for minors. I mainly want to focus on minors 16 years of age or younger. The question I wish to answer more specifically is, does boot camp benefit or harm a troubled minor? I also wish to learn the short and long term affects of these camps, do they just create a short term solution, or do they in fact shape minors into law abiding citizens that can contribute to society? I plan on answering these questions using past and present research from experts in this field. I chose this topic because I believe it is very important that society handles their minors in only the right manner, they should be guided not punished because one day they will be running the nation

Due to the increase of correctional populations that continue to exceed its’ capacity, correctional alternatives were created. Correctional alternatives were to alleviate both prison crowding and the threat to public safety posed by serious offenders (Flores, Holsinger, Latessa, Lowenkamp, & Makarios, 2010). Rehabilitation in the 1970s was a variable correctional goal however by the 1980s intermediate sanctions developed . Intermediate sanctions consist of house arrest, electronic monitoring, boot camps, day reporting centers, intensive supervision probation or parole, community service, fines, and curfews (Tonry, 1990). These sanctions offer community based punishments that focus on deterrence, incapacitation, and retribution (Tonry, 1990).

Rehabilitation is facilitated by the offering of courses, to help the offender address his/her behaviour which society has labelled as “wrong” or inappropriate (Peterson, 1989; Shaffer, 1993). Therefore, a con of the strategy may be that the offenders are unable to access courses that could assist them in rehabilitation. Another purpose of the detention centre for young people may be through the use of a military structure to try and impress on them that they have done wrong (Munice, Hughes & McLaughlin 2002).

This alternative is structure to youths and some adults that may have bad behavior. Inside the program you can get a list of positive programs, for example education, community service, healthcare physical and mentally, and job training that can assist you in society (Vissing, Y., & Vissing, 2012). However, the main goal is to punish, deterrence, and most important rehabilitation (Vissing, Y., & Vissing). Their tactics are the scared straight or shock treatment just as the military use when they enter basic training for the first time. All the rules configured where there is no room for misconceptions. Boot camps can be state or private organized, but the focus these boot camp is the financial status. The cost is less than being in a correctional facility. The amount stretches from $3,500 per month to $50,000 budget. Therefore, this is a great benefit for the juvenile so he can get a second chance at a young

America has one of the largest prison population and according to the bureau of the justice department. States and federal prisons held 1574700 inmates in December 2013.and it increased by 4300 inmates over the years end. More than two-thirds of prisoners were arrested within the first six months of release. These statistics show that prison as punishment alone do not work and some measures need to be but in place to decrease the population of inmates and recidivism. Prison should be used as both rehabilitation and punishment.

Creating this program and seeing that the offenders followed through with the treatment process was the primary goal. In order to collect the necessary data, counselors needed to interview each participate. This procedure is what enabled them to understand better and further assist participants with treatment and remaining on the correct path. The interview process took place 12 months after offenders were released from prison. A research team from the university of

Until as recently as the 1970s, the focus of criminal justice professionals revolved around rehabilitation of offenders (Cullen & Jonson, 2012, p. 27). Dating back to when the first American penitentiary was constructed in 1820, the idea was that by creating a system that mimicked the concept of a well-developed, law-abiding community within the prison atmosphere,

Boot camp techniques vary across the country but usually the methods are predominantly structured to parallel military training camps for new military associates, in which staff members act as drill sergeants, inmates are referred to as recruits, and intense physical challenges are routine. Two months to a year stays in residential programs filled with military drills, counseling, and education are viewed generally as “intermediate sanction” in the juvenile justice system. Proceeding from the “tough on crime” increase of the late 80’s and early 90’s, the intent of boot camps for juvenile offenders has been to discipline and “curb criminal tendencies.”( Erin Hanusa,2006). However, the popularity of boot camps has suffered

Jail and prison populations are swelling as a result of increased crime and sentencing in the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system has piles of cases that need to be sorted and suspects who need to proceed with their trials. It is clear that the system needs an adjustment. One significant method to reduce the population in jails and prisons is to changing the rehabilitation strategies. Rehabilitation is important in the criminal justice system, but even more significant in keeping individuals out of jail, out of prison, and out of trouble. Mass incarceration does not work, simply put. It has been utilized in the past and based on that, has been proven to not work effectively. The state of Virginia decided to do away with parole in the year 1995, causing increased prison inmates to remain in the system, even though they should be out paying their own taxes instead of taking them from taxpayers while sitting inside of a prison cell. An individual must serve at least eighty-five percent of his or her sentence whether or not that person has proven themselves to be accepted back into society (Roeder, et al, 2015). It is clear that this method is outdated and only increases the amount of money taxpayers must put towards the swelling prison system

The people who ran the real boot camps, were quite skeptical. "The key reason we are successful is that we have a clientele down here that chose to be here on their own," said Sgt. Maj. Ford Kinsley, who oversees drill instructors at the United States Marine Corps' recruitment base in Parris Island, S.C. "They are not here because a judge said you should go here. Our population comes with a lot more positive attitudes."

Rehabilitation is not “the easy way out” to escape legal punishment, but is rather a key crime prevention strategy, the aim of which is to sway young offenders from their criminal paths. In many cases, rehabilitative techniques are more effective than prison sentences. For instance, David Clayton Thomas, who received a prison sentence at age 15 in Canada, provides a description of the prison, calling it “a predatory, upside-down society where the strong rule, the weak are victimized and the inmate code is all that matters.” Thomas says, “Break the code and you could get killed.” These are not the conditions in which our youth should be expected to restore their moral values! It has also been proven that rates of depression, anxiety disorders, ADHD, and substance abuse- all of which rehabilitation counsellors work with in our young offenders- are higher among youth in custody than among those in the general population. Participation in a rehabilitative program is not a lenient sentence; it is a healing process that is often difficult, but at the end of which the goals of the offender and his/her mentors are hopefully

Juvenile boot camps are what are known as a shock incarceration technique. The purpose of shock incarceration is to scare the convicted into changing their ways. Unlike most other shock incarceration techniques, the boot camp method is designed as a way to promote structure and discipline into the lives of the juveniles. They do this by having a highly structured routine that includes physical training, marching in formation, and professional development activities. The use of juvenile boot camps has been used in the United States since the early 1980’s, but has recently been under fire for not being effective in reducing the rate of recidivism in the juveniles who participate in it. They were first created as an alternative to traditional sentences such as incarceration and parole. Boot camps also benefited the system by being more cost effective to run than those traditional techniques because the programs are much shorter than traditional sentences. The other benefit to the system was it reduced prison overcrowding. The ultimate goal of boot camps is to reduce recidivism, but the question is, are juvenile boot camps accomplishing this goal.

Youth are also required to follow hard schedules of military boot camp activities, such as drill, manual labor, and physical training. Participants are woken up very early every morning and kept busy with tasks during the day, with little free time and often no choices. Rigorous rules are put in place to regulate conduct and appearance, and punishment for breaking the rules is swift and usually involves physical activity, such as pushups and sit ups and jumping jacks. Rehabilitative elements are often incorporated into the programs, such as classes and substance abuse and group counseling (Juvenile). Further, upon release, there are after-care programs typically implemented after graduation, such as abuse treatment, rehabilitative counseling, and intensive community supervision

This includes a case plan with the juvenile and family and is tailored to the needs of the juvenile in order to assist with successful reentry (DOCSSD, 2017). The contract includes conditions and expectations for the juvenile to abide by. Some terms which these contracts may range from drug testing, community service, a curfew, and restitution plans. By focusing on changing juvenile behavior, these programs hope to prevent further delinquency so the juvenile is able to transition into adulthood and live a productive life as a contributing member of society (NIJ, n.d.). The success of these programs is attributed to the supervision youth receive while not only institutionalized, but while transitioning back into the community (NIJ, n.d.).

The use of institutional boot camps are on the decline. There is no evidence to support that it is effective on recidivism. Although it's purpose is to develop self discipline, respect for authority, responsibility and a sense of accomplishment many are being rearrested within a year of being released. (Schmalleger & Gmykla, 2015). The cause for this is because the boot camp is based off of military styles and concepts. However, the military is for the most part a choice and not a condition or punishment for wrong doi to creating ngs. The military's tactics are conducive to producing fighting units and people that are combat ready. They are trained to become one and fight an enemy regardless of the life or death implications. Many of the criminals