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.