Correctional boot camps (also called shock or intensive incarceration programs) are short-term residential programs that resemble military basic training and target convicted adult offenders. The first boot camps began operation in the adult correctional systems of Georgia and Oklahoma in 1983. Boot camps are designed as alternative sanctions to reduce recidivism rates, as well as prison populations and operating costs. The aim is to reduce recidivism by modifying participants’ problem behaviors that likely contribute to their odds of reoffending. Behavior modification occurs through reinforcement of positive behavior and immediate punishment of negative behavior. In addition, prison populations could be reduced because inmates are diverted from traditional incarceration facilities and receive shorter sentences as participants in a boot camp program. Correctional operating costs can therefore be reduced by decreases in both the prison population and recidivism rates.
Most adult boot camp programs limit participation to young, first-time, nonviolent offenders. However, the eligibility criteria and selection process can vary substantially by program.
Typically, boot camp participants are required to follow a rigorous daily schedule of activities that can include drill and ceremony, manual labor, and physical training similar to a military boot camp. Participants are awoken early every morning and are kept busy with various activities throughout the day with little free time. Strict rules regulate all aspects of inmates’ conduct and appearance. Correctional officers act as drill instructors and may be given military titles that participants are required to address them by. They use intense verbal tactics to discourage opposition and instigate behavior change in inmates. Punishment for misbehavior is usually swift and may involve some type of physical activity such as push-ups.
Often groups of inmates will enter the boot camp as squads or a platoon, and may participate in an intake ceremony where they are immediately required to follow the rules, respond to staff in an appropriate way, and stand at attention. At the end of an inmate’s term, there may be a graduation ceremony for those who have successfully completed the program.
Although most boot camps contain similar basic characteristics, there is no standard boot camp model and therefore individual programs can differ greatly. For instance, the amount of time and focus placed on physical training and hard labor compared to the therapeutic components of the program (such as academic education, drug treatment, or life skills training) may vary. Some boot camps may also offer an aftercare or reentry program designed to help program participants adjust to the community following their release, while others offer no such service.
In addition, the programs may differ on whether they are designed to be an alternative to probation or to prison. For example, in some jurisdictions a judge may sentence an offender to serve time in a boot camp instead of probation. In other jurisdictions, inmates already serving time in prison may be identified by correctional staff to be transferred into a boot camp program.