Juvenile boot camps, juvenile detention centers and probation : a comparison of effectiveness from the personnel's perspective

Abstract

Juveniles have always committed a wide range of criminal/delinquent offenses. There are juveniles who have committed status offenses such as truancy or running away and there are juveniles who have committed harsher offenses such as rape or murder. In the past, the more common offenses committed by juveniles consisted of property crimes or drug offenses (OJJDP, 2007a,b). Today, juveniles have shifted their focus to more heinous acts such as aggravated assaults and domestic violence (OJJDP, 2007a,b). In response to the increase in, and harshness of, delinquent acts committed by juveniles, the juvenile justice systems has created more ways of correcting delinquent behavior. An increase in juvenile research has also occurred. This research focuses on three specific alternative sentencing options (boot campus, detention centers, probation) and their effectiveness in reducing juvenile delinquency and recidivism. Delinquency is a juvenile committing a crime whereas recidivism is a juvenile committing another crime. The data were collected from a detention center and probation office in Ohio, as well as a boot camp located in Indiana. The datasets used were from surveys that were sent to each of the facilities listed above. Based on the data analysis from the survey instruments, boot camp participants were the only ones who were completely satisfied with their facility. All three facilities, however, had plenty of changes that could be made in order to improve of their effectiveness to reduce juvenile delinquency. Most of those changes consisted of adding more staff, changing or adding more programs, less juvenile population, more discipline, and more education.