Correctional Boot Camps: A Tough Intermediate Sanction - Chapter 6.
Bureau of Prisons: Expanding Intermediate Sanctions Through Intensive Confinement Centers
MENU TITLE: Bureau of Prisons Intensive Confinement
Series: NIJ Report
Published: February 1996
9 pages
18,913 bytes
Bureau of Prisons: Expanding Intermediate Sanctions
Through Intensive Confinement Centers
by Jody Klein-Saffran, Ph.D.
Jody Klein-Saffran, Ph.D., is a Research Analyst at
the Federal Bureau of Prisons, specializing in
community corrections, alternative sanctions, and
recidivism. She has published a number of papers in
scholarly journals and professional publications.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has two shock
incarceration facilities, the Intensive Confinement
Center (ICC) for men at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania,
and the Intensive Confinement Center for women at
Bryan, Texas. Both are adjacent or attached to
Federal correctional institutions and contain a
slightly older population (average age: 27) than
State-administered boot camps. All participants are
volunteers for the program, 90 percent of them
committed directly by the court and the rest drawn
from already incarcerated inmates. The Federal
Government's ICC program shares many of the
features of State programs but does not incorporate
summary punishments or result in a reduction of
participants' sentences. Through a daily regimen of
physical training, work assignments, education,
vocational training, and substance abuse treatment,
the program seeks to improve offenders'
decisionmaking, self-direction, and self-image and
help them gain permanent employment. The 6-month
incarceration period at the ICC facilities is
followed by a community corrections period during
which participants finish out their sentences,
first at a halfway house and subsequently under
home confinement. The overall objective of the ICC
program is to change offenders' behavior so they
will reduce their involvement in crime and become
safely reintegrated into the community.
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons' Intensive Confinement
Center (ICC) program shares with State shock
incarceration programs the same primary goal: to
change offenders' behavior and ultimately reduce
their involvement in criminal activity without
compromising public safety.
Yet there are several important differences between
the Federal and State programs. First, inmates tend
to be older at the Federal level than at the State
level. The average age for an ICC male participant
is 27 in comparison to the average age for
participants at the State level, which is between
19 and 20 (MacKenzie and Souryal, 1994). Second,
whereas most States reduce the sentences of boot
camp participants, the Federal Government does not.
Third, the Federal program does not use summary
punishments by staff (as is done in some State boot
camps) because it is inconsistent with Bureau of
Prisons policy on inmate discipline, which follows
due process procedures and carefully prescribes
appropriate sanctions for acts of misconduct
(Klein-Saffran, 1991).
A fourth difference between the Federal ICC and
many State programs is that the ICC places a
considerable emphasis on nonmilitary rehabilitative
activities in contrast with many State programs
that focus primarily on military-type activities.
ICC participants spend roughly 3 to 4 hours each
day in various types of programs such as life
skills, health and nutrition, substance abuse
counseling, and adult basic education and GED
(general equivalency diploma) instruction. A fifth
difference, unique to the Federal program, is the
community corrections component. All inmates who
graduate from the ICC spend the remainder of their
sentences in a halfway house (community corrections
center) followed by home confinement. Although this
component shares the objective of State aftercare
programs, it provides a far more controlled
environment.
The Federal Intensive Confinement Center Programs
Consistent with the Crime Control Act of 1990, the
Bureau of Prisons' Intensive Confinement Center at
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, was established adjacent
to the U.S. Penitentiary and began accepting male
participants in that same year. ICC Lewisburg is
designed to incarcerate 192 adult male Federal
offenders. In July 1992, an ICC for women was
established on the grounds of the Federal
Correctional Institution in Bryan, Texas. ICC Bryan
is designed to hold 120 adult female offenders in
dormitory-style barracks.
As with all Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities, the
ICC's mission is to maintain custody of inmates in
an environment that is safe, secure, and humane.
Both ICC Lewisburg and ICC Bryan were developed to
direct offenders' behavior along prosocial lines
without compromising public safety. Each ICC
facility is purposely spartan and restrictive. In a
highly structured environment, the ICC offers a
specialized program consisting of a daily regimen
of physical training, labor-intensive work
assignments 6 days per week, education and
vocational training, substance abuse treatment, and
life skills programs conducive to a successful
reintegration into mainstream community life.
Each training cycle lasts 180 days. Program
entrance is voluntary, and inmates who successfully
complete the program are given the opportunity to
serve the remainder of their sentence--a portion
greater than otherwise would be possible--in a
community-based program. This community component
is designed to help offenders consolidate and
sustain the gains they make during their
incarceration.
Program Foundation and Philosophy
ICC program objectives are to help offenders
develop responsible decisionmaking, self-direction,
and a positive self-image, and obtain and keep a
job. The intensive discipline, work, and program
components of the regimen are designed to fulfill
the decisionmaking, self-direction, and positive
self-image objectives. Life skills classes and the
postrelease community corrections component help
participants attain the employment objective.
Bureau of Prisons management philosophy focuses not
only on humane care but also on the promotion of
positive interaction between staff and inmates. The
use of summary and group punishment in some boot
camp programs is considered inconsistent with this
philosophy and with BOP's policy of providing
prescribed, appropriate sanctions for acts of
misconduct. In both the Bryan and Lewisburg
facilities, BOP has attempted to blend the more
positive elements of the boot camp approach to
discipline with the traditional components of
inmate management.
There are differences, however, in how the programs
in the two facilities deal with inmates. For
example, in establishing the program at ICC Bryan,
BOP considered the particular concerns of female
offenders with regard to interpersonal
relationships, psychological issues, family ties,
and similar matters. Perceiving that many female
inmates lack self-confidence, Bryan staff encourage
them to take more control over their lives. A
greater effort is made to offer programs that
strengthen their self-esteem, help them deal with
domestic violence, and promote their parenting
skills. Although less emphasis is placed on
military drill than at the male ICC, this aspect of
boot camp training has proved surprisingly popular
with the female participants.
While the two ICC programs differ in the respects
mentioned, there are greater differences between
the ICC and regular prisons, primarily with respect
to mandatory classes to improve life skills,
fitness, health, and nutrition, as well as
substance abuse counseling sessions. In addition,
the ICC inmates are taught to work together as a
team, whereas in regular prison this is
discouraged. In fact, the unspoken rule of "doing
your own time" remains a strong component of the
standard prison culture. At the ICC facilities,
correctional officers are expected to establish
close working relationships with inmates and gain
more knowledge about their charges than would be
the case in a typical prison facility.
Eligibility Criteria and the Screening Process
There are five basic eligibility criteria for
initial court commitment designations to the ICC
program. An individual must:
o  Be serving a sentence of 12 to 30 months.
o  Be serving a first incarceration sentence or
have a minor history of prior incarcerations (e.g.,
for personal drug use or minor property offenses).
o  Pose a minimum security risk.
o  Lack medical restrictions.
o  Volunteer for participation in the program.
For ICC Lewisburg, males must be 35 years old or
younger on program entry.1
The original intent was for Bureau of Prisons
regional office staff to identify candidates for
the ICC program, with the concurrence of the
sentencing judge. Optimally, all candidates
for the ICC program were to be new court
commitments meeting the eligibility criteria
outlined above. When the ICC program started,
however, only a few eligible court commitments were
available. An administrative decision was therefore
made to obtain volunteers for the program from
persons incarcerated in minimum security facilities
who met the eligibility criteria. Both ICC
Lewisburg and Bryan now draw on offenders who are
serving 12- to 60-month sentences at Federal
institutions. However, direct court commitments
currently account for over 90 percent of admissions
to the ICC facilities.
The ICC population differs in some respects from
the overall Bureau of Prisons population
when one compares offender profiles for
ICC inmates with those of the general
male and female inmate populations. This program's
purpose is to place offenders in a highly
structured, no-frills environment for teaching
self-control and discipline, thereby reducing the
potential for future incarceration.
Initial designees may be rejected if they fail to
meet the established criteria. The ICC
Administrator has the option of terminating
participants who fail to perform appropriately.
Inmates who do not fully complete the program are
reassigned to an appropriate facility and serve the
imposed sentence without benefit of the special
incentives derived from participating in the
program.
Admissions, Orientation, and Daily Schedule
Once inmates arrive at an ICC facility, they are
appointed to a team and participate in a 2-week
admission and orientation (A&O) program. The A&O
program familiarizes them with the mission,
purpose, and scope of the facility and with the
programs they will participate in. Each team
consists of 40 to 55 participants who go through
A&O and the ICC 6-month program together. During
A&O, staff tell the inmates about the daily routine
and the benefits of participating in the ICC
program.
Community Corrections
After completing the 6-month intensive confinement
period, inmates are transferred to a halfway house,
or community corrections center (CCC). At the CCC,
inmates progress through phases of increasing
freedom based on demonstrated personal
responsibility and commitment to law-abiding
behavior. In most cases, the CCC phase ends with a
period of home confinement supervised by CCC staff
(Federal Bureau of Prisons, 1992). In addition,
inmates with a history of drug and alcohol abuse
are required to participate in Transitional
Services, a program that offers inmates drug and
alcohol treatment during the halfway house (CCC)
period of their sentences.
Arrival at a CCC marks the beginning of phase I
(the CCC component) of the postincarceration
period. The inmate is initially placed in the
Community Corrections Center. In this first phase,
the inmate is expected to maintain regular
employment in the community but remain at the
center at all other times unless authorized to
leave for religious or other special program
purposes. All family visits and leisure activities
occur at the center.
Those who adjust satisfactorily may progress to the
prerelease component (phase II). During this
period, inmates have greater access to the
community and may visit family and friends outside
the center until the evening curfew. They also
become eligible for weekend passes and furloughs.
Successful completion of phase II allows inmates to
be considered for home confinement, phase III,
whereby they live at home for the remainder of the
term, under certain restrictions and reporting
requirements (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 1992).
Generally, progression through the phases depends
on an inmate's favorable adjustment. An inmate who
fails to comply with CCC or home confinement
program requirements may be placed in a more
restrictive program phase or terminated from
community corrections programs altogether and
returned to a regular correctional institution for
the remainder of the sentence.
Status of Program Participants
A total of 1,015 males graduated between Team 1's
graduation in ICC Lewisburg in July 1991 through
Team 22's graduation in December 1994.
Approximately 9 percent (94) failed during their
first 6 months in the halfway house, and
approximately 6 percent (70) failed after 6 months.
Reasons for the 10 arrests included driving with a
suspended license or under the influence of
alcohol, fighting, possession of drugs, spouse
abuse, shoplifting, sexual assault, and
trespassing.
A total of 457 females graduated between January
1993 and December 1994, of whom 30 (6 percent)
failed within the first 6 months of the halfway
house and 21 (4 percent) during the second 6
months. Two of the three arrests were for fraud.
After 1 year or longer, six more females failed.
The Bureau of Prisons Office of Research and
Evaluation is conducting a study to determine if
ICC reduces recidivism among graduates. To this
end, researchers are comparing recidivism rates
among prison inmates in the first four graduating
classes to rates for a control group of regular
minimum-security inmates matched for their
backgrounds and several variables. Recidivism was
defined as a return to prison from a halfway house,
rearrest while on parole, or parole revocation for
violating parole conditions.
Summary of BOP's Rehabilitation Process
The ICC program is an intensive application of
BOP's general approach to rehabilitating offenders
in Federal correctional facilities. The Bureau of
Prisons sees the offender rehabilitation process as
involving three elements: the institutional
experience, community involvement in the offender's
life, and the offender's personal actions and
personal choices.
The institutional experience. Prisons have the
first-stage rehabilitative responsibility of
providing inmates with access to appropriate
programs. In the ICC, this consists of the
intensive program opportunities previously
described. Prison staff develop ways to promote
self-motivation and encourage inmates to function
as productive citizens. Innovative techniques are
needed because traditional self-improvement and
treatment programs have already failed to
significantly help these offenders.
Community involvement. The community has a
different but equally important responsibility in
rehabilitating offenders. Generally, community
support starts with the willingness of family and
friends to maintain contact with imprisoned
offenders, assuring them that they are still part
of the community even though physically separated
from it. Especially critical to this phase of the
rehabilitation process are programs and
organizations that continue to provide support
after the inmates are released from prison. They
provide offenders services such as job placement,
counseling, housing, and other programs vital to
successful reintegration into the community.
Inmate responsibility. The third and most
fundamental area of responsibility in the
rehabilitation process rests with the inmates. For
institutional programs to be effective and for
community-based activity to be supportive, inmates
must choose to better themselves and not commit
crime upon release. The ICC program charges
participants with the responsibility of taking
advantage of all the resources offered to them as
they plan for their release as law-abiding
citizens.
Future Directions
The Bureau of Prisons' ICC program has received the
enthusiastic support of politicians, correctional
administrators, and line staff, who value the ICC
as an option for offenders who would previously
have served their sentence in a regular prison
environment.
As shock incarceration programs become more refined
over time, administrators will want to retain those
features the research has shown to be effective and
eliminate those proved ineffective. Moreover, if
shock incarceration programs are to serve as a
useful sanction along the continuum of intermediate
punishments, it will be expedient for research to
extend beyond the prison facility to include
followup with community components.
Administrators believe services such as postrelease
drug treatment and employment counseling will
facilitate reintegration into the community.
Organizational commitment to make these policies
successful in practice will make it more likely
that expectations will be met.
Shock incarceration programs, at whatever level of
government, constitute more than just a response to
prison crowding and political policy. They serve a
special need for specific offender populations. The
results of evaluations of these programs that take
these special needs into account can then be used
to expand program options and maximize positive
outcomes.
Note
1.  This criterion was changed for the male
population in January 1994. Currently neither males
nor females have to meet age requirements to be
accepted into the ICC program.
References
Federal Bureau of Prisons, Operations Memorandum
120-92 (5391), 1992.
Klein-Saffran, Jody. "Shock Incarceration, Bureau
of Prisons Style." Research Forum, 1(3), 1991.
Klein-Saffran, Jody, David A. Chapman, and Janie L.
Jeffers. "Boot Camp for Prisoners." Law Enforcement
Bulletin, 62 (1993):13-16.
MacKenzie, Doris L. "Boot Camp Prisons: Components,
Evaluations, and Empirical Issues." Federal
Probation, 54, no. 3 (September 1990):44-52.
MacKenzie, Doris Layton, and Claire Souryal.
Multisite Evaluation of Shock Incarceration.
Evaluation Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Department of Justice, National Institute of
Justice, 1994.
Parent, Dale G. Shock Incarceration: An Overview of
Existing Programs. Issues and Practices in Criminal
Justice. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of
Justice, National Institute of Justice, 1989.