Juvenile boot camps: a descriptive analysis of program diversity and effectiveness

Juvenile boot camps have proliferated since the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's three pilot programs in 1992. Programs differ in numerous aspects, including: how strictly they adhere to the original mi litary model; the background and age of juveniles accepted; the length of t he camps; capacity; cost per juvenile; amount and type of aftercare; and, r ecidivism rates. Insufficient data exist to make definitive judgments as to effectiveness, but a survey of the literature shows that they are consider ably less effective than the public believes. The original idea for adult b oot camps incorporated goals of a cost-efficient alternative to incarcerati on and reduction in recidivism. Juvenile boot camps usually are more costly than most other traditional options, and with rare exceptions recidivism r ates are extremely disappointing. Boot camps could prove to be a valuable t ool in juvenile justice, but stricter assessment and evaluation methods as well as better aftercare are needed before these politically appealing prog rams constitute an effective method of diminishing juvenile delinquency. (C ) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.