Jails and Prisons: Types and Kinds

• In some areas, inmates may volunteer for boot camp as an alternative to incarceration, and may voluntarily drop out if it is found to be too tough to handle.

• The goal of most boot camps is the rehabilitation of the offender. Boot camps often use peer pressure in counseling sessions to reinforce positive behavior and discourage negative behavior. Many boot camps are designed to "punish" and resocialize criminal drug abusers.

• After release from boot camps, most inmates are closely monitored by the appropriate corrections department to aid their reintegration to society. Most inmates placed in boot camps "serve" less time than they would if placed in a typical incarceration facility.

Juvenile Detention Facilities

Generally, underage offenders are placed in juvenile detention facilities. Many of these detention facilities focus on rehabilitation of the juvenile offender, rather than pure penalization. In some cases, juvenile detention facilities are used to house offenders who commit a crime that, if not for their age, would have required incarceration. In other cases, juvenile detention facilities are used to punish behaviors unique to that age group, such as habitual truancy.

• Juvenile detention facilities are often run much like a regular prison or jail, with strict schedules, codes of expected behavior, and punishment for misbehavior.

• The purpose of placing juvenile offenders in separate facilities from adult criminals is to insulate juveniles from "bad influences," to protect them, and to attempt to curb criminal tendencies before adulthood is reached. However, many juveniles who commit serious crimes and are tried as adults may be placed in juvenile facilities until they reach adulthood, at which time they may be transferred to adult facilities.

Probation and Intermediate Sanctions

Probation, and other intermediate sanctions, are different from incarceration. An example of an intermediate sanction might be community service. An individual convicted of a crime who receives probation, rather than incarceration, will be required to comply with "rules" set down by the court. For instance, the individual might need to participate in counseling or psychotherapy, might have to submit to drug testing, might have to search for and find work, and will have to report regularly to a probation or parole official. If the convicted individual violates the terms of their probation or other intermediate sanction, they risk incarceration.