NCJ Number
184417
Date Published
January 1995
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This study examined the adjustment of offenders from shock
incarceration programs (boot-camp prisons) during community
supervision over a 1-year follow-up period in five States.
Abstract
Data were collected as part of the National Institute of
Justice's multisite study of shock incarceration. The programs
were selected to represent various program characteristics and
varying program eligibility/suitability criteria. The
participating States were Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New York,
and South Carolina. Military drill and physical exercise are core
components of all shock incarceration programs. Counseling,
treatment, and educational activities are important components of
some programs and are virtually nonexistent in others. At the
time of data collection, the programs in Georgia, South Carolina,
and Florida devoted little time to treatment, counseling, and
educational activities. In Louisiana and New York, officials
reported allocating a larger proportion of time to these
therapeutic activities. Data were collected from two sources.
Demographic information, current offense characteristics, and
prior criminal history variables were available from offenders'
official records. An instrument was also used for compiling
supervision intensity and positive adjustment information during
community supervision. These data were collected from offenders'
supervising officers at predetermined intervals over a 1-year
follow-up period. A sample of male shock program completers was
selected within each of the five States. Each State also selected
at least two offender samples from other correctional programs
for comparison purposes. An index was used to quantify the
positive activities of offenders. The results provide little
conclusive evidence that the shock incarceration programs had a
positive effect on offender behavior. The data do suggest that
supervision intensity plays an important role in shaping
offenders' activities during community supervision. 8 tables, 3
figures, and 30 references
Date Published: January 1, 1995