SPECIAL NEEDS OFFENDER PROGRAMS

Special Needs Offender Programs

Special Needs Offender Programs

There are many issues to consider when dealing with the treatment of young offenders in the justice system. These young persons are vulnerable and a desired method of treatment needs to be obtained to ensure the children are dealt with effectively and rehabilitated to the best of their ability in order to become contributing members of society. A fairly new method which takes the place of incarceration for young people are boot camps which aim to decrease the rates of re-offending (Shapiro, 1999, 68-75).

This alternative measure of incarceration has been utilized in the United States for over twenty years, and is, "Based on a military basic training model stressing discipline and physical conditioning." Because the origin of boot camps is American, and the idea is fairly new to Canada, most of the literature is American. Canada is slowly following in the United States' lead and developing similar programs (Tyler, 2001, 445-458).

"There are basically three types of boot camps: the military drilling style that focuses on strict discipline; the rehabilitative approach; and the educational/vocational model. Most of the current camps “concentrate on the military drill as their central theme." In 1985 the first juvenile boot camp was established in Orleans Parish, Louisiana. In 1987, only four state correctional system boot camp programs existed. In 1992 there were three pilot juvenile boot camps started in Ohio, Colorado, and Alabama. The offenders sent to these locations were non-violent offenders less than 18 years of age, and were to complete a three-month residential program and six to nine month aftercare program. However, there were reports of a lack of consistency and coordination in the aftercare programs which lead to substandard results as opposed to those high intentions of lower recidivism. By 1993 there were forty-six reported in thirty states. This number grew increasingly to boast 75 facilities for juveniles by 1997, in 33 states. These figures represent only official state facilities, and do not include private camps and those established by local jurisdictions. If the figures included these facilities run by other jurisdictions and private persons the number would be significantly higher. The idea of juvenile boot camps is much newer than adult faculties, although, in Texas alone their Juvenile Probation Department approved eighteen proposals to construct juvenile facilities across the state (Szalavitz, 2002, 118-122).

After distinguishing where these facilities exist, it is important to understand the elements and goals of the programs. There are several elements of boot camps which include a regimented military-style program, strict discipline and rules, young, first-time nonviolent inmates, and programs that offer a shorter alternative to prison sentences. These elements can be altered in order to form different methods of treatment within the camps. The goals vary within each program, but effectively they are all similar. They range to include incapacitation, deterrence, and rehabilitation, reduction of prison costs and crowding, and punishment. Each program varies these goals in order to obtain the maximum positive potential results possible (Colman, 1994, ...