Inmates' Attitude Change During Incarceration: A Comparison of Boot Camp With Traditional Prison

The analysis used two measures, focusing on program attitudes and antisocial attitudes, to explore changes in inmates' outlook. Although all six programs featured a military atmosphere characterized by strict rules, they differed in terms of hours devoted to rehabilitative programs, selection criteria, referral process, and voluntariness. Compared to control samples of inmates incarcerated in traditional facilities, all boot camp inmates developed more positive, or less oppositional, attitudes during the course of their program. Offenders in boot camps and prisons became less antisocial during their incarceration, although these changes was frequently smaller for prison inmates. The findings held whether the programs were voluntary, focused on rehabilitation, or had high dropout rates. 5 tables, 2 figures, 32 references, and 1 appendix