Community Corrections Unit 3

Trace the historical routes of correctional boot camps.

• Georgia and Oklahoma first to introduce military practices into corrections

  • Georgia introduced concept (1983) when their Department of Corrections instituted Special Alternative Incarceration (SAI) to help reduce overcrowding in prisons/jails

  • First SAI program in established at Dodge Correctional Institution in Chester, Georgia (50 beds)

• In 1984, a boot camp facility known as the Regimented Inmate Discipline (RID) program opened in Lexington, Oklahoma for first-time drug offenders and nonviolent offenders

  • Moved to William S. Key correctional center in 1989, which was designed for first-time, nonviolent offenders aged 18-25  and featured a stay of 120 days with a military-life atmosphere

• Louisiana became the first state to establish a correctional boot camp for juvenile offenders in 1985. It was located in the Orleans Parish and modeled a basic military-style training format

  • Offenders had to wear a uniform and march to daily activities along with a rigid schedule and physical/educational training

  • Hoped to maximize deterrence at a lower cost compared to incarceration

• By the 1990s, these boot camps were utilized across the US

What are the characteristics of residential, community-based programs?

• Restrictive setting with high supervision

  • Staff monitor residents around the clock and report any infractions immediately

  • Residents have to maintain employment, perform community service, and submit to regular drug testing

• Typically lower cost compared to jail/prison (higher public approval)

  • Close to total institutional setting

• Residents can complete community service and pay restitution

• Transitional Control

  • Designed to monitor an offender’s adjustment to community supervision

  • Small groups in which surveillance, risk management, and formal controls are emphasized (ensure accountability)

• Focus on desistance

  • Identify dysfunctional patterns in offender behavior 

  • Help offenders identify the basis of their behavior and change their self perception, environment, or both

• CBT to teach offenders cognitive skills and values essential for pro-social competence

How did the introduction of medicine in the deinstitutionalization movement influence the evolution of treatment of mentally ill persons in the US?

• The first antipsychotic drug, known as thorazine, was introduced in 1955 and was considered a major breakthrough because it drastically improved the prognosis for patients in psychiatric hospitals

  • Inc possibility for them to live outside large institutions\

• Effectiveness caused policymakers and psych professionals to community-based treatment efforts, which formed the central idea of the deinstitutionalization movement

  • Small community programs formed for those responding well to the medication

• It also led to the passing of the Community Mental Health Centers Act, which provided federal funding for community mental health centers

  • Number of institutionalized mentally ill lowered significantly

• Some communities did not have the resources to support mentally ill individuals after their release, so many lived with family or resided in community facilities such as nursing homes

Kent v US

• Decision: juveniles cannot  be arbitrarily waived to adult court, and they are entitled to an informal hearing where the court must state reasons for transfer to create a sufficient record for review

• Implication: juvenile court’s protective role does not excuse procedural fairness

  • Minors have constitutional rights that must be respected even under parens patriaea

In re Gault

• Decision: juveniles in delinquency proceedings entitled to notice of charges, counsel, cross examination and confrontation, privilege against self-incrimination

• Implication: juvenile courts cannot override basic due process rights

  • Parens patriaea must be balanced with constitutional rights to avoid unfair treatment of juveniles

In re Winship

• Decision: juvenile adjudications require proof beyond a reasonable doubt

• Implication: fairness is critical to adjudication; burden of proof cannot be lowered in cases that could lead to confinement

McKaiver v Pennsylvania

• Decision: juveniles do not have a right to a jury trial in delinquency proceedings 

• Implication: maintenance of the informal, rehabilitative nature of juvenile courts aligns with parens patriaea (formal jury trials could undermine the focus on fairness and guidance)

Breed v Jones

• Decision: trying a juvenile in both juvenile and adult court is double jeopardy and is not allowed

• Implication: parens patriaea should protect juveniles from unnecessary punishment, not allow multiple prosecutions