Discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of two alternative correctional programs

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

An alternative correctional program to prisons and jails are prison camps that are used to detain offenders. Found primarily in the South and the West and have been in operation since the nineteenth century. Prisoners on farms produce dairy products, grain, and vegetable crops that are used in the state correctional system and other governmental facilities. Forestry camp inmates maintain state parks, fight forest fires, and do reforestation work. This program may be effective as they are still in existence and newer innovative programs are currently being developed. Boot camps are another correctional innovation that gained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s; it involves youthful first-time offenders in military discipline and physical training. The concept of short periods of high-intensity discipline and exercise will "shock" the inmate into going straight. Tough physical training is designed to promote responsibility and improve decision-making skills, build self-confidence, and teach socialization skills. There is little evidence that boot camps can significantly lower recidivism rates and therefore their future is uncertain. The federal government has already announced the closing of their boot camp program. Halfway houses are community-based correctional facilities that house inmates before their outright release so they can become gradually acclimated to conventional society. Studies show no definite endorsement of these facilities, perhaps due to a lack of community support.