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For NSW Department of Justice
A case against the introduction of mandatory boot camp orders for all violent young offenders
October 9, 2018
Summary
- The rate of crimes in the juvenile population in Australia is high.
- Probation and Prison are two prevalent forms of dealing with young offenders.
- Boot camps have gained popularity as a third measure and have a high public appeal.
- They are believed to be cost effective as well as rehabilitative.
- Previous experience has shown the ineffectiveness of boot camps in rehabilitating young offenders
- The harms of boot camps outweigh its benefits.
- A program that creates a compromise between boot camps and counseling classes could be a better option.
Introduction
Crime committed by youngsters or those under the legal age has been on the rise worldwide and Australia is not an exception. Data regarding the rise in violence and gang culture in Australia is almost alarming. 54,064 cases of youth offences were recorded by the police in the 2016–17 accounting for 13% of the total offender population (Australian Government, 2018). In light of these statistics, it is important for the NSW Department of Justice to address the issue of Young Offenders and take appropriate action to rectify their behavior and turn them around to a successful lifestyle.
The question of rectifying young offenders is a perplexing one. Amongst the various sentences offered to young offenders is probation or prison (Walker, 2001). While probation is considered too lenient by critics, prison is considered too harsh. This is where a third middle-man means of rectification came into scene, namely boot camps. However, boot camps as an alternative to the other two forms of penalty seem to have failed their purpose.
Background
Boot camps first started in Ohio in 1965 (Osborne 1994) and were later adopted by other states in the United States as a form of correctional training for prisoners. Juvenile boot camps commenced in 1985 in Orleans Parish, Louisiana and by 1997, 33 states in the US had adopted some sort of rehabilitation program that was very much based on military-style training to discipline offenders (Bottcher and Ezell, 2005).
In Australia, the first work camp for non-violent offenders was set up in March 1995, in Laverton, Western Australia. Although it was far removed from the extreme military-style training in the US, it demonstrated a highly structured and disciplined approach along with counseling and rehabilitation programs. (Atkinson, 1995)
More recently, two trial boot camps were put in place by Queensland government in 2013, for correcting teenagers at risk of committing crimes and youngsters who had already committed an offense.
In light of these legislations gaining popularity, it is important to study the various aspects of boot camp training. It is also important to assess the pros and cons of such camps and validate their effectiveness in realizing their goals before considering any serious mandatory legislation.
Current Status
Boot camps have gained high public appeal ever since their launch. This has been mainly due to the belief that since military training is assumed to rectify behavior through strict discipline as is observed in military personnel, it would help in rectifying erroneous behavior in youngsters.
Another highlighted benefit of boot camps is that the costs of boot camps are assumed to be lower compared to prisons since boot camps run for shorter durations and are observed in a separate facility.
Owing mainly to these...