Title: Correctional Boot Camps: Lessons From a Decade of Research
Series: Research for Practice
Author: Dale G. Parent
Published: National Institute of Justice, July 2003
Subject: Alternatives to incarceration, boot camps, and program evaluations
16 pages
29,000 bytes
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U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
National Institute of Justice
JUNE 2003
Correctional Boot Camps: Lessons Learned From a Decade of Research
----------------------------
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
810 Seventh Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20531
John Ashcroft
Attorney General
Deborah J. Daniels
Assistant Attorney General
Sarah V. Hart
Director, National Institute of Justice
This and other publications and products of the U.S. Department of Justice,
Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice can be found on the
World Wide Web at the following site:
Office of Justice Programs
National Institute of Justice
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij----------------------------
JUNE 2003
Correctional Boot Camps: Lessons From a Decade of Research
Findings and conclusions of the research reported here are those of the author
and do not reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of
Justice.
The analysis reported here was supported by contract numbers 96-SC- LX-
001, 96-SC-LX-002, 96-SC-LX-003, 96-SC-LX-004, and 96-SC-LX-
005, supported by funds transferred to the National Institute of Justice from the
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
NCJ 197018
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About This report
Can a program designed to improve an inmate's attitudes and behaviors reduce
the likelihood that he or she will commit another crime after release from
prison? Could such a program reduce prison populations and costs? This
Research for Practice reports on 10 years of data analyzing the success or
failure of correctional boot camps to meet these goals.
What did the researchers find?
The studies of boot camps produced mixed results:
o Participants reported positive short-term changes in attitudes and behaviors;
they also had better problem-solving and coping skills.
o With few exceptions, these positive changes did not lead to reduced
recidivism. The boot camps that did produce lower recidivism rates offered
more treatment services, had longer sessions, and included more intensive
postrelease supervision. However, not all programs with these features had
successful results.
o Under a narrow set of conditions, boot camps can lead to small relative
reductions in prison populations and correctional costs.
What were the study's limitations?
The author reviewed and compiled data from studies of boot camps published
over a period of 10 years. Each boot camp studied had a different design. This
lack of uniformity made it difficult to assess what components were and were
not successful. Also, each study used a different method to evaluate the
program, which made comparing their findings difficult.
Who should read this study?
Correctional administrators at adult and juvenile facilities and State and local
policymakers.
