This study was designed to analyze shock
incarceration (boot camp) programs in Florida, Georgia, Illinois,
Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. It was guided
primarily by two research questions: (1) Are shock incarceration
programs successful in fulfilling stated program goals? and (2) What
particular components of shock incarceration programs lead to success
or failure in fulfilling program goals?
This study consists of two main parts: offender
comparison and change during incarceration (self-report/attitude data)
and offender adjustment to community supervision (community
supervision data). Self-report/attitude data are available for five
states (Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and South Carolina). In
each state, a sample of shock incarceration inmates was compared to a
sample of traditional prison inmates during incarceration. Subjects in
both samples completed a self-report questionnaire twice in a repeated
measure design. The first questionnaire was completed early in their
incarceration and the second was administered approximately 90 days
later, except in Louisiana where the survey was administered at three
points in time. The questionnaire consisted of personal history and
attitude items. Demographic data were also collected on each subject
from official records. Community supervision data, which are available
for all seven states, were compiled to compare three samples of
offenders: (1) shock incarceration graduates, (2) offenders on
probation or parole, and (3) shock incarceration dropouts. In most
states, data were collected at three-month intervals for one year. In
Oklahoma, data were collected at two time periods. Offenders in Texas
were followed for two years. In Louisiana, subjects were evaluated
after one year and again after two years. For most states, the
subjects sampled in the self-report/attitude survey were different
from those who were surveyed in the community supervision of data
collection. Data collection practices and sample structures differed
by state, and therefore the data files are organized to explore the impact
of shock incarceration at the state level. For each state, the unit of
analysis is the shock or comparison group offender.
States were selected based on the existence of shock
incarceration programs that varied along key hypothesized dimensions.
Respondents were sampled differently in each state. In many cases
convenience samples were used, selecting the first offenders that met
the eligibility criteria until the sample goal was reached. In other
cases, random sampling was used.
All states with shock incarceration programs and all
youthful offenders serving sentences in state institutions.
Individuals.
personal interviews, self-enumerated questionnaires,
and official records from correctional institutions
survey data, and administrative records data
The self-report/attitude data files measure
offender comparison and change during incarceration. The same core
questionnaire was used in Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, and South
Carolina. Variables in these files include type of crime committed,
prior arrests and convictions, juvenile delinquency, drinking and drug
use, attitudes toward the shock program, asocial attitudes, and
demographic information, such as age, race, employment, income,
education, and military experience. The South Carolina file also has a
sex variable, since the sample includes both men and women. The other
data files measure offender adjustment to community supervision. The
same core questionnaire was used in Florida, Georgia, and South
Carolina. Variables in these files include type of crime committed,
prior arrests and convictions, and demographic information, such as
age and race. In addition, information about offenders' behaviors
during community supervision was recorded, including arrests,
absconding incidents, jail time, pending violations, revocations, drug
use, educational and employment experiences, financial and residential
stability, overall progress in the program, and number and types of
contacts with community supervision officers. The South Carolina file
contains an additional variable, age at first arrest. The Georgia
file contains additional variables from a two-year follow-up that
measure arrests, revocations, abscondings, and legal releases. The
Louisiana files contain more detailed information than the other state
files (Parts 11-18). In addition to similar self-report and community
supervision variables, the Louisiana data provide other
attitude and psychological variables. These include the Jessness
personality inventory, attitudes toward shock incarceration, locus of
control, perceived control of events, coping methods, state-trait
anxiety, assertive interactions, and conflicts in prison.
Not applicable.
Several Likert-type scales were used, along with the
Jessness Antisocial Attitudes Scale, a Motivation to Change scale, a
Beneficial Expectation scale, an Attitudes Towards Prison/IMPACT
(shock) scale, and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory items.