Evaluation of the First Incarceration Shock Treatment (FIST) Program for Youthful Offenders in Kentucky, 1993-1994
Description
Boot camps, a popular alternative to incarceration, are
characterized by a strong emphasis on military structure, drill, and
discipline and by an abbreviated period of incarceration. Originally
designed for young, adult, male offenders convicted of nonviolent
crimes, boot camps have been expanded to encompass juveniles and women
as well. In 1992 the Bureau of Justice Assistance funded three
agencies to develop correctional boot camps for young offenders, and
simultaneously, the National Institute of Justice supported an
evaluation of these camps. By October 1993 the only operational boot
camp of the three selected sites was the Kentucky Department of
Corrections' First Incarceration Shock Treatment (FIST) program. This
data collection is an evaluation of the first 18 months of operation
of FIST from July 1993 through December 1994. The primary goal of this
evaluation was to document the development of the Kentucky boot camp,
the characteristics and experiences of the youthful offenders
participating in it, and any changes in participants' attitudes and
behaviors as a result of it. The evaluation consisted of an extensive
case study, supplemented by pre- and post-test comparisons of boot
camp offenders' attitudes, physical fitness, and literacy skills,
descriptive information about their engagement in legitimate
activities during aftercare, and an assessment of the rates, timing,
and sources of program attrition. Variables in this collection include
entrance and exit dates, sentence, crime type and class, pre- and
post-program test scores in math, reading, and language skills, and
demographic variables such as age, race, sex, and marital status.
Resources
| Name |
Format |
Description |
Link |
|
0 |
ICPSR02698.v1 |
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR02698.v1 |
Tags
- attitudes
- program-evaluation
- shock-incarceration-programs
- juvenile-offenders
- outcome-evaluation