The number of people under the age of 18 arrested daily in our country may astound some. In 1990, there were more than 1.7 million juveniles arrested, and since then the numbers have nearly doubled, even though the vast majority of these arrests have been for non-violent offenses, and four percent has been for non-criminal offenses, such as truancy, curfew violations or running away from home. Only about twelve percent of all juvenile offenses are crimes against another person. Although it is important to note that only about 52% of these arrests result in jail time, it is still a significant amount of juveniles behind bars. All together our prison population is at two million inmates.

So what are our options then for these children? Every human being is different and therefore the way to deal with each person should vary. One opt

Elliot Currie (1998) seems to agree with this idea that these boot camp programs have little effect on helping these juvenile delinquents. “Probably the most striking recent example is the popularity of “boot camps” for delinquent youths, which remain well liked by state and federal governments despite the absence of evidence that they have made a difference. Currie(1998) seems to feel that we have gotten into a habit of sloppy thinking, in which sloppy programs are implemented. These programs he feels have little success. In fact, there doesn’t seem to be any program that can fully rehabilitate.

individual youths’ problems. According to critics, juveniles’ needs vary greatly, and effective programs should assess each individual’s needs and provide appropriate individual programming. Many boot camps, however, manage juveniles in units or platoons. Youths enter the facility in a unit and remain with that unit for educational classes and treatment programs.

A series of scandals over mistreatment and even deaths of juvenile inmates has further wrecked the reputation of these boot camps. Not long ago officials in Maryland and Georgia scaled back and shut down juvenile boot camps in their states. Apparently guards in Maryland boot camps routinely beat and bloodied their teenage charges. It seems that the only benefit these programs offer is more physically fit, happier juvenile criminals.

For the parents of the child that has already crossed that line, I believe that unfortunately there are not many solutions. For some children the boot camp method can work, if there is after care provided, but ultimately our best chance of changing any behavior is prevention and to focus on the next generation before they become out of control. Hopefully by that point our society has come up with an improved version of boot camps but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

In contrast, a review commissioned by the Office of Juvenile Justice says past boot camps have not shown to have improved the recidivism rate. Boot camp critics say that the camps’ confrontational environments is in direct opposition to the type of positive interpersonal relationships and supportive atmosphere that are needed for youths’ positive development. From their perspective, the boot camp environment is detrimental to quality therapeutic programming. The boot camp atmosphere itself, strict control over juveniles’ activities and confrontational interactions between drill instructors and youths, may cause juveniles to fear the correctional staff. This would create a negative environment for therapy and educational achievement. Furthermore, critics argue, the camps’emphasis on group activities does not allow programs to address

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