This program sounds so worthwhile but how effective are they, what kind of juveniles particularly get sent to boot camps, how much do they cost, how many are there in the country, what are the procedures and what they do at

Some people say that boot camps are not helping the juvenile but instead are abusing them. In December of 1999, CNN reported that a 15-year-old boy was abused and assaulted while attending a Maryland boot camp for one day. He had accused the military guard of breaking his wrist. This has brought about similar reports of abuse at this particular Maryland Boot Camp. Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, whose responsibilities include oversight of the juvenile justice system, said that an investigation is underway and if convicted, guards will be fired (CNN). Marks explains how officials across the country are re-examining their "get-tough" policies against juvenile offenders (Marks, 1). Another example why people say that boot camps are abusing the offenders is that in South Dakota a 14-year-old girl died from dehydration during a long distance run. Critics say boot camps have been rife with the potential for abuse right from the start. They say the reevaluation is long overdue and hope currently scrutiny signals a swing toward more therapeutic approaches that focus on drug treatment, education, and vocational training (Marks, 1).

One aspect of Juvenile boot camps is whether they are effective or not. Studies have shown that boot camps help overcrowding and prison costs, but they fail in reducing recidivism rates of a program. If a program is working, it helps ease the impact of cost by taxpayers by showing them that their money is being used for an effective facility. However, data from around the United States show that boot camps have not produced a decrease in the number of boot camp graduates who are rearrested for other crimes (Bourque national survey, 7). There was a study done on Oklahoma and Georgia, the first two states that started boot camps. In that particular study, researchers found that in Oklahoma, a group of graduates versus non-violent offenders sentenced to the Department of Corrections that at the 29 month mark, almost half of the boot camp graduates had went back to prison while only 28 percent of the other group had. Meanwhile, in Georgia researchers found very little difference between the two programs (Salerno 151). According to Bourque, there have been a high number of dropouts in boot camps, and a large proportion of those who enter boot camps, drop out for medical, personal, or disciplinary reasons. Those who drop out typically end up serving longer terms of imprisonment (Bouque ns, 8).

Boot camps have been growing rapidly since 1985 to present. One of the first programs that started in Georgia obtained only 50 beds. Early growth in the use of this alternative was slow, by January 1987 only four boot camp programs existed. However, boot camps began to multiply later the same year. A recent survey done in 1993 counted 52 programs in 32 states, with more then 1,000 beds in Georgia and New York. While three more states were seriously considering implementation (Bourque National, 8).

After juveniles have graduated from boot camps there is a program called aftercare. The sites differed widely in the type of aftercare services they offered their graduates. Bourque explains that the programs mainly are used t

Some common words found in the essay are:
Enforcement Act, According Bourque, Georgia Juvenile, South Dakota, According Austin, Bourque Bcjo, Justice System, boot camps, boot camp, CNN Marks, Bourque National, Oklahoma Georgia, juvenile boot, bc jo, camp program, bourque bc, treatment education, juvenile boot camps, training school, boot camp program, offender boot camp, shorter periods, sent boot camps, correctional facility, boot camps military,
Approximate Word count = 2142
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)