The Effectiveness of Probation Boot Camps
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How Effective Are Probation Boot Camps?
Probation Boot Camps Probation boot camps refer to correctional centers that follow a military essential training model, which emphasizes discipline as well as physical conditioning. They are based on shock incarceration and military techniques, and are aimed at assisting young offenders. The first known boot camp was started in 1971 in Idaho though their popularity did not start until 1983 when they were created in Oklahoma and Georgia in 1983 (Cullen, Belvins Kennedy, and Trager 56). Several needs were attributed to the rise in popularity of these boot camps. The first was the need to develop intermediate punishments that would punish young offenders. This was because the society did not desire to let these offenders go on probation and yet these offenders did not deserve to be imprisoned either. This prompted the rise of intermediate sentencing options such as community correction centers, house arrest, intensive community supervision and boot camps hence providing judges with a wider choice of alternatives when deciding on the appropriate punishment for an offender. Of these, policy makers considered boot camps a relatively cheaper alternative and thus it was adopted. In addition, these camps would help solve the problem of overcrowding the American prisons as well as supporting the need to curb crime, a major theme during the Regan period in the 1980s. As such, boot camps had to be more harsh and restrictive as compared to normal probation and at the same time be less difficult and restrictive as compared to prison. The intention was to reform offenders by instilling military discipline in them. These reasons resulted in the adoption of boot camps by governments in view of the fact that the principles of a just judgment towards an offender with a minor crime appealed to most liberals. They also appealed to conservatives due to the toughness of these camps hence
Tutor:
Course:
Date:
How Effective Are Probation Boot Camps?
Probation Boot Camps Probation boot camps refer to correctional centers that follow a military essential training model, which emphasizes discipline as well as physical conditioning. They are based on shock incarceration and military techniques, and are aimed at assisting young offenders. The first known boot camp was started in 1971 in Idaho though their popularity did not start until 1983 when they were created in Oklahoma and Georgia in 1983 (Cullen, Belvins Kennedy, and Trager 56). Several needs were attributed to the rise in popularity of these boot camps. The first was the need to develop intermediate punishments that would punish young offenders. This was because the society did not desire to let these offenders go on probation and yet these offenders did not deserve to be imprisoned either. This prompted the rise of intermediate sentencing options such as community correction centers, house arrest, intensive community supervision and boot camps hence providing judges with a wider choice of alternatives when deciding on the appropriate punishment for an offender. Of these, policy makers considered boot camps a relatively cheaper alternative and thus it was adopted. In addition, these camps would help solve the problem of overcrowding the American prisons as well as supporting the need to curb crime, a major theme during the Regan period in the 1980s. As such, boot camps had to be more harsh and restrictive as compared to normal probation and at the same time be less difficult and restrictive as compared to prison. The intention was to reform offenders by instilling military discipline in them. These reasons resulted in the adoption of boot camps by governments in view of the fact that the principles of a just judgment towards an offender with a minor crime appealed to most liberals. They also appealed to conservatives due to the toughness of these camps hence
Cited: Benda, Brent, Toombs, Nancy and Mark Peacock. Ecological Factors in Recidivism: A Survival Analysis of Boot Camp Graduates after Three Years. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Vol. 35(1) (2002): 63-85. Bottcher, Jean and Michael Ezell. “Examining The Effectiveness Of Boot Camps: A Randomized Experiment With A Long-Term Follow Up.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 42(3) (2005): 309-332. Cullen, Timothy, Belvins, Kennedy and Trager, John. “The Rise And Fall Of Boot Camp: A Case Study in Common-Sense Corrections.” Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 40 (2005): 53- 70. MacKenzie, Doris et al. "Boot Camp Prisons and Recidivism in Eight States," Criminology Vol. 33(3) (1995): 327-334. Morash Martin, and Rucker, Lawrence. “A Critical Look at the Ideal of Boot Camp as a Correctional Reform.” Crime and Delinquency 36, (1990): 204-222. Stinchcomb, John. “From Optimistic Policies to Pessimistic Outcomes: Why Won’t Boot Camps Either Succeed Pragmatically or Succumb Politically?” Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 40 (2005): 27-52. Tyler, Jerry, Darville, Ray and Stalnaker Kathi. “Juvenile Boot Camps: A Descriptive Analysis of Program Diversity and Effectiveness.” Social Science Journal 38 (2001): 445-460.