"We have another member on here, Donna I believe, who also works in prisons in another state. Perhaps she'll be along and be able to help with the boot camp question."
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Yes, Lil, that was me. I worked in a Close Security state prison for 24 years before retiring six years ago.
About the boot camps ... we do have one here. It's located in a very small town about 20 miles from where I live. The program was started years ago with very high hopes. It was aimed mainly at the very young, non-violent, first time offenders (meaning a lot of drug dealers and gang bangers). No one was sent there involuntarily. The ones considered suited to the program went through the regular classification process at the reception center, then were given the option of entering the boot camp program. They could, for example, choose to do their five year sentence in a regular time-building institution OR successfully complete one year in the boot camp program.
It was modeled after old-style military boot camps and was very, VERY tough. Picture Clint Eastwood as a drill sergeant! A good friend of mine worked there for years. He is 6'6" and weighs a solid 350 pounds. He is also a total teddy bear but not when he was at work. A lot of those guys probably still have nightmares about him! Some made it, but a lot more didn't. Considering that their "clientele" consisted of mostly uneducated, smart-mouthed street level drug dealers and gang bangers who had never done an honest days work in their lives, not surprising. If they didn't participate in the program or chose to drop out, they were sent back to the regular prison to do their original sentence. The program was started with high hopes but overall was not successful and not cost effective and is now in the process of being phased out.
And for anyone who has ever worked in State government, here is what REALLY happened. They came up with this program and located it in this very small town as a political favor to a few very rich local "movers and shakers". This very small out of the way town was also selected as the site of a big medium security prison which was one of a few that were run by a private for-profit company instead of the State. And this same small town was also chosen as the location of a multi-million dollar state-owned golf course that sits empty 99% of the time because no one ever goes there. One of these days they'll probably plow it under and plant beans or something. So it's politics as usual here and nobody is one bit surprised!
