Inmate Attitude Change During Incarceration: A Comparison of Boot Camp and Traditional Prison

The study used a quasiexperimental pre- and posttest design and involved shock incarceration programs in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. Regular prison inmates were selected to be as similar as possible to shock incarceration inmates in terms of individual demographic characteristics, criminal histories, and offense characteristics. Two types of data were collected; official record data and inmate self-reports. Attitudes were measured once soon after offenders arrived at the prison and again near the end of the shock program. Despite large differences among States in shock programs and inmates, study results were surprisingly consistent. Shock incarceration inmates became more positive about the program, while offenders serving time in traditional prisons did not become more positive about their experience. Both groups became less antisocial over time. The findings do not support the hypothesis that shock incarceration programs will have a negative effect on inmate attitudes. Supplemental information on the study methodology is appended. 24 references, 12 tables, and 2 figures