What is the effectiveness of boot camps?
Dr. Doris Layton MacKenzie, who has researched boot camps since 1987, finds that they vary often in the length the teens reside in camp and the amount of care they receive afterwards. Boot camps have also been scrutinized for mistreatment of adolescent participants.ComponentsThe Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) stated in 1995 that boot camps cater to non-violent teen offenders for up to a six-month stay. During that time, they will experience a vigorous schedule of discipline, physical training and counseling. After they are released, participants are to receive follow-up care.Military StyleAccording to bootcamps.com, most teen camps practice a military-style setting, with the teens wearing uniforms and sleeping in the barracks. They will be expected to address the sergeant as “sir,” and perform several “basic training” drills a day.PositivesThe OJJDP found that participants had a greater respect for authority after being in the program, as well as having a
