Boot camps, juvenile offenders, and culture shock

Abstract

While much has been written in recent years about the use of “Boot Camps” in the rehabilitation of offenders, researchers have paid little attention to precisely how the indoctrination process works: what are its norms; how they are established, reinforced and maintained; and their temporary and long-term effects on offenders. Because boot camps are relatively new, they are still in what is sometimes referred to as the “pre-paradigm” stage. A theoretical model, though sorely needed to understand how the bot camp experience effects offenders, has yet to to be proposed. In this article the authors provide an overview of boot camps in the U. S., describe their experiences at Camp Roulston (a boot camp for juvenile offenders near Cleveland), present an experiential model of the boot camp based on culture shock theory, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of boot camps and how they can become more effective in the rehabilitation of offenders.