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Boot Camps
Boot camps are military-style, semi-penal institutions
that use discipline, military exercises, and rigorous
physical training to "break" a defiant adolescent and
supposedly return home a "good soldier" who will obey
authority, follow rules, and improve behavior at home and
school. There is no therapy, no psychological
intervention to address underlying emotional or
behavioral problems that may have been developing over
many years. The theory is that a swift "kick in the
pants" will turn around a child who has probably been
acting out for years.
There is more than one type of boot camp. Some are
state-run substitutes for juvenile jail. Some are
privately run "get tough" camps where the "guards"
enforce strict rules, some of them simply there for no
other reason than to challenge the student to follow the
rules or break them, force physical exertion (forced long
runs and obstacle courses), and generally shake up the
child's perception of reality. Of course, this isn't
reality. Most of us do not live in a boot camp or
military atmosphere in the real world. These boot camps
were created as a short-term alternative to military
boarding schools. The idea is that you break the child's
will (spirit?) and teach them that they are not the
center of the universe.
However, many therapists would disagree that such a
tactic results in a well-adjusted, responsible young
adult. The recidivism rate of juveniles who attend
state-run boot camps has been said to be as high as 94%.
That does not say much for the success of this model of
rehabilitation. Are They Effective?
Boot camps came into being as an alternative to jail for
juvenile delinquents. Research has shown that the
recidivism rate for juvenile offenders who have attended
a "boot camp" is very high, as high as 90%.
Why would a parent want to send a troubled teen to a
program that was originally intended for adolescents who
have been prosecuted for criminal acts? It is not an
environment intended to modify behavior through
self-understanding. It is an environment that seeks to
scare kids straight, a method that has proven time and
again to have on short-term results.
Whatever program or therapeutic approach you choose for
your struggling adolescent should take into consideration
the long-term impact of the choice. If a child undergoes
significant behavioral and emotional changes in a
therapeutic problem, the long-term success rate will be
much higher.
Many times parents want a "quick fix" for their troubled
teen. How many years did it take to end up with a sullen,
belligerent, hostile child? You won't fix it overnight.
Focusing on a long-term plan in which the intervention is
therapeutic and emphasizes behavioral change through the
acceptance of personal responsibility will improve the
outlook for your child.
Bootcamps are rarely the best choice for a truly troubled
teenager. They need to face their basic emotional and
behavioral issues as well as discover and be taught
behaviors and positive interactions that will improve
their academic performance, personal relationships, and
personal success. It is change that occurs through
self-revelation that has the longest and most permanent
effect on any human being. Give your child the
opportunity to learn more about himself or herself, and
then discover that he or she can be a positive part of
the community.
