U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

National Institute of Justice

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

OFF ICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS

BJA NI J OJJDP BJS OVC

National Institute of Justice

Program Focus

Shock Incarceration in

New York

Focus on Treatment
2 National Institute of Justice

PROGRAM FOCUS

Shock Incarceration in New York:

Focus on Treatment

by Cherie L. Clark, David W. Aziz, and Doris L. MacKenzie

Highlights

New York State’s Shock Incarceration

program for young adults provides a therapeutic environment where young nonviolent offenders receive substance abuse

treatment, academic education, and other

help to promote their reintegration into

the community.

All aspects of the Shock Incarceration, or

boot camp, regimen have as their goal the

development of law-abiding citizens. The

therapeutic approach adopted by New

York State’s four Shock Incarceration

facilities encompasses drill and ceremony,

physical training, work, and education, to

which are added a heavy emphasis on

substance abuse education and treatment

and the development of personal responsibility. A program called “Network,” in

which staff receive special training, integrates all these components into a single

treatment environment.

New York’s Shock Incarceration program

has had the following outcomes:

■ Substantial savings in operational and

capital costs. This has been accomplished

by reducing to 6 months the time these

offenders would ordinarily have spent in

prison.

■ Improvements in educational achievement. On average, graduates of Shock

Incarceration in New York have improved

their reading and math scores by one grade

level.

■ When the return-to-prison rates of

graduates are compared to those of other

inmates, the graduates did as well as (or in

some situations better than) parolees who

did not participate or complete the

program.

Key components of this approach are

substance abuse education and a treatment program called Network, which

not only engages the specific participation of Shock Incarceration inmates

but overlies the rest of the daily regimen of drill, ceremony, physical training, work, and academic education.

Network was designed to establish

living and learning units within correctional facilities that are supervised and

operated by specially trained correctional officers and supervisors.

The New York State Department of

Correctional Services began the Shock

Incarceration program in September

1987 and currently operates four adult

facilities dedicated to Shock Incarceration with a total capacity of 1,570,

including 180 beds for women offenders and 225 beds for orientation and

screening.2

 The department has introduced innovative techniques not only

for treatment but also for facility management, staff training, and aftercare

program followup.

New York’s Shock Incarceration program has two legislatively mandated

goals:

■ To treat and release selected State

prisoners earlier than their courtmandated minimum period of incarceration3

 without endangering public

safety.

■ To reduce the need for prison

bedspace.

The program emphasizes treatment as

a means of promoting public safety. It

seeks to build character, instill responsibility, and promote a positive

self-image so that nonviolent offendhock incarceration facilities, or boot camp prisons, for young adults are being developed in city,

county, State, and Federal jurisdictions.1

 They provide shorter incarceration than the youthful offenders

would normally receive, but the regimen involves

strict, military-style discipline, unquestioning obedience to orders, and highly structured days filled with

drill and hard work. New York State’s boot camps

add a new dimension to this typical regimen. In New

York State, the program is designed to provide a total

learning environment that fosters involvement, selfdirection, and individual responsibility.

S
Program Focus 3

PROGRAM FOCUS

must not have committed a violent or

sexual offense or been previously sentenced to an indeterminate prison

term. Both males and females are eligible [see box].

Screening

All offenders committed to DOCS

who are legally eligible for Shock

Incarceration are sent to an orientation

and screening center at Lakeview

Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility (SICF). This facility also houses

720 offenders, including all eligible

women offenders, in phase 1 and is the

training center for all Shock Incarceration staff.

When screening was decentralized,

ineligible inmates in some facilities

would spread rumors during screening

that discouraged eligible inmates from

volunteering for Shock Incarceration.

Centralized screening was begun to

increase the proportion of inmates who

volunteer for the program, and it appears to have helped. In fiscal year

1992–93 approximately 65 percent of

eligible offenders were admitted to the

program after screening, compared to

about 47 percent in 1988–1989 when

screening was not centralized.

At screening interviews, offenders are

informed about Shock Incarceration

program requirements and must decide

whether they want to volunteer for the

program instead of serving their full

terms in prison. Participants are carefully examined for mental and physical problems that would prohibit them

from taking part in the program. While

the evaluation is in progress, offenders

are introduced to some of the Shock

Incarceration program activities.

DOCS officials believe this brief

Rita finishes 50 sit-ups and springs to her

feet. At 6 a.m. her platoon begins a 5-mile

run, the last portion of this morning’s

physical training. After 5 months in New

York’s Lakeview Shock Incarceration

Correctional Facility, the morning workout is easy. Rita even enjoys it, taking

pride in her physical conditioning.

When Rita graduates and returns to New

York City, she will face 6 months of

intensive supervision before moving to

regular parole. More than two-fifths of

Rita’s platoon did not make it this far;

some withdrew voluntarily, and the rest

were removed for misconduct or failure

to participate satisfactorily. By completing shock incarceration, she will enter

parole 11 months before her minimum

release date.

The requirements for completing shock

incarceration are the same for male and

female inmates. The women live in a

separate housing area of Lakeview. Otherwise, men and women participate in the

same education, physical training, drill

and ceremony, drug education, and counseling programs. Men and women are

assigned to separate work details and

attend Network group meetings held in

inmates’ living units.

Women in Shock Incarceration

ers can return to society as lawabiding citizens.

New York’s Shock Incarceration program is divided into two 6-month

phases:

■ Phase 1: an intensive incarceration

program operated by the Department

of Correctional Services.

■ Phase 2: intensive community supervision conducted by the Division of

Parole.

Phase 1 is built around a therapeutic

program called “Network,” which

seeks to create a positive environment

to support successful reintegration of

inmates into the community. Within

this general framework, inmates engage in the activities normally associated with boot camps.

During phase 2, Shock Incarceration

graduates are intensively supervised in

the community. In New York City,

where most of them return, a program

termed “AfterShock” helps with housing, drug and alcohol treatment, relapse prevention, family counseling,

job training and placement, and other

critical needs. Much of this is accomplished with the assistance of a variety

of community-based service agencies.

Eligibility and

Selection

In New York, judges cannot sentence

offenders directly to Shock Incarceration. Sentenced offenders can enter the

Shock Incarceration program if they

are legally eligible, if the Department

of Correctional Services (DOCS) staff

determines they are suitable for the

program, and if they are willing to

become participants. Because Shock

Incarceration participants who successfully complete phase 1 are released prior to serving their mandated

minimum prison terms, the eligibility

and suitability criteria have been designed to ensure that the program admits only candidates who will benefit

from participation and eliminates

those who pose a risk to society.

To qualify, offenders must be under

35 and eligible for parole within 3

years of admission to DOCS. They
4 National Institute of Justice

PROGRAM FOCUS

Offenders can be removed from Shock

Incarceration for legal, medical, disciplinary, or adjustment problems, or

they may voluntarily decide to leave.

Overall, about 37 percent of those

admitted fail to complete phase 1 and

are sent to regular prisons to complete

their original sentences.

Characteristics of participants. In

September 1993, New York State had

1,188 males and 129 females in the

Shock Incarceration program. Exhibit

2 (page 8) presents some participant

characteristics.

Staff Training

Staff training is a key component of

Shock Incarceration. Staff in any

DOCS facility can apply for openings

at SICF’s. Once chosen they take part

in a 4-week training program patterned

after the Shock Incarceration regimen

for offenders. The training program is

designed to familiarize all staff with

the concepts, goals, and structure of

the Shock Incarceration program. It

seeks to give them a better understanding of the inmates they will work

with and of the interrelationships

among security, programs, and

administration.

The training is largely experiential in

format. The schedule is based on a

modified version of the Shock Incarceration day, which includes physical

training, drill and ceremony, and instructor development, while covering

some aspect of the 6-month treatment

curriculum. The course content includes leadership skills and teaching

techniques. All staff, regardless of

discipline, learn the fundamentals of

decisionmaking, substance abuse conAll participants in New York’s Shock Incarceration program spend at least 12 hours each week on

academic education.

exposure has lowered withdrawal

rates among those who enter Shock

Incarceration.

Entry and Removal

Male offenders who volunteer for the

Shock Incarceration program either

remain at Lakeview or are sent to one

of the other three SICF’s located

throughout the State. Females remain

at Lakeview. SICF’s are minimumsecurity facilities, some of which were

formerly forestry camps; they are located in remote wooded areas that

afford opportunities for hard outdoor

labor. Male participants enter in platoons of 54 to 60 once each month,

and the platoons proceed through the

180-day program as a unit.

The first 2 weeks of Shock Incarceration are called “zero weeks.” Inmates

learn the basics of physical training,

drill and ceremony, and discipline. It

is a period of orientation, indoctrination, and initial evaluation with a focus

on strict discipline and attention to

detail. Most volunteer dropouts occur

during zero weeks. To minimize zeroweek dropouts, the period is emphasized as an educational time for

easing inmates into the program

requirements.

Exhibit 1 shows the weekday schedule

of activities for inmates in phase 1.

They arise at 5:30 a.m. and are kept

busy until 9:30 p.m. with highly structured activities including physical

training, work, drug and alcohol treatment, education, recreation, and drill

and ceremony. There are no free time

periods, no packages from home, no

commissary, no radios, no magazines,

no newspapers, and no television.
Program Focus 5

PROGRAM FOCUS

camps are located adjacent to State

conservation land, on which Shock

Incarceration inmates cut firebreaks or

maintain public-use areas. Inmates

also work on the grounds of the Shock

Incarceration facilities. Altogether,

inmates who complete Shock Incarceration perform 650 hours of hard

work.

Working in supervised crews, the inmates also perform thousands of hours

of community service for cashstrapped municipalities and community groups in the areas surrounding

the four Shock Incarceration facilities.

In 1993 alone, New York Shock Incarceration inmates performed approximately 1.2 million hours of community service. If these municipalities

and organizations had hired laborers at

$5 per hour to perform this same

work, the cost would have been $6

million.

The staff and inmates from Shock

Incarceration facilities have also

helped communities in the aftermath

of emergencies. Inmates from the

Moriah SICF helped contain and clean

up after forest fires. Summit and

Lakeview inmates cleaned up after

tornadoes struck nearby communities,

and inmates from Lakeview cleaned

beaches after a large number of fish

were found dead in Lake Erie.

In addition, Lakeview inmates provide

services for an ongoing Trooper Toysfor-Tots program. They repair damaged donated toys and haul, sort, and

prepare them for distribution across

the United States and in Canada and

other countries. In 1992, thousands of

dollars worth of toys were sent to the

victims of hurricane Andrew. The

Exhibit 1. Daily Schedule for Offenders in New York Shock Incarceration Facilities

A.M.

5:30 Wake up and standing count

5:45–6:30 Calisthenics and drill

6:30–7:00 Run

7:00–8:00 Mandatory breakfast/cleanup

8:15 Standing count and company formation

8:30–11:55 Work/school schedules

P.M.

12:00–12:30 Mandatory lunch and standing count

12:30–3:30 Afternoon work/school schedule

3:30–4:00 Shower

4:00–4:45 Network community meeting

4:45–5:45 Mandatory dinner, prepare for evening

6:00–9:00 School, group counseling, drug counseling, prerelease

counseling, decisionmaking classes

8:00 Count while in programs

9:15–9:30 Squad bay, prepare for bed

9:30 Standing count, lights out

cepts, learning theory, physical training, and drill and ceremony. Group

unity and teamwork are also emphasized, as staff from different disciplines work with inmates as a team.

To date, more than 1,500 staff members have been trained during 14 sessions. In addition, DOCS has provided

staff training or technical assistance in

staff training to at least 15 other Shock

Incarceration programs located in 10

different jurisdictions. The program

director and supervising superintendent have been involved in developing

standards for boot camps with the

National Institute of Corrections and

the American Corrections Association.

Phase 1: Intensive

Incarceration

Over 40 percent of inmates’ time is

spent in treatment and education. The

program is divided as follows:

■ Physical training, drill and ceremony: 26 percent.

■ Treatment and education sessions

to treat addictions: 28 percent.

■ Academic education: 13 percent.

■ Hard labor on facility and community projects: 33 percent.

Physical Training, Drill,

and Ceremony

Each morning from 5:45 to 7:00 participants perform calisthenics and run.

Throughout the day, inmates march to

and from activities in platoon or squad

formation. Three times a day, formal

company formations of platoons muster before physical training, work or

school, and evening programs.

Work

Participants perform 6 hours of hard

work per day while in Shock Incarceration, arranged in two 3-hour periods before and after lunch. Several
6 National Institute of Justice

PROGRAM FOCUS

director of Trooper Toys-for-Tots

estimates that the value of the toys

repaired and distributed to needy children has exceeded $960,000 since

Lakeview began this program in 1989.

Network

This therapeutic approach has been

used in DOCS facilities since 1978,

but due to recent budget cuts, the program now functions only in Shock

Incarceration facilities. Network emphasizes a decisional approach to

problem-solving and building selfesteem using a 5-step model taught in

12 sessions. An emphasis on family

issues and parenting skills that is part

of most New York Shock Incarceratrained in Network methods so that

the skills are reinforced in every aspect of the Shock Incarceration program. Community agencies and

volunteers are also encouraged to participate, further developing a network

of resources.

Substance Abuse Treatment

New York’s emphasis on putting alcohol and substance abuse treatment

within the context of a therapeutic

community distinguishes it from

Shock Incarceration programs in other

parts of the country. All offenders

participate in Alcohol and Substance

Abuse Treatment (ASAT), a drug

education and group counseling program, for a minimum of two 3-hour

sessions per week.

ASAT is based on the 12-step recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous and

is staffed by trained substance abuse

counselors. Materials from the Network program are also included in the

curriculum, revised in 1990. With help

from a Bureau of Justice Assistance

grant, Spanish translations of the curriculum were also made available.

Education

Improved educational achievement is

a central objective of New York’s

Shock Incarceration program. All participants spend at least 12 hours in

academic work each week. Over the

course of their stay, participants complete at least 260 hours of academic

education, including remedial education, basic high school equivalency

classes, and preparation for the GED

(General Equivalency Diploma). Offenders who have completed high

tion curriculums responds to the fact

that approximately 75 percent of the

women inmates and half of the men

are parents.

Inmates are formed into platoons who

live together as a unit; they hold a

Network community meeting daily to

resolve problems and reflect on their

progress. Network helps inmates adjust to community living and develop

socialization, employment, communication, decisionmaking, and critical

thinking skills.

All staff, officers, counselors, supervisors, teachers, and support staff in

Shock Incarceration facilities are

The Network Program

The Network program objectives are

grouped into three basic areas:

■ Responsibility for self.

■ Responsibility to others.

■ Responsibility for the quality of one’s

life.

Network teaches that in order to make

responsible decisions, participants must

consider their own wants and needs, the

effect they have on others, and their own

particular situations. It teaches them that

responsible behavior results from recognizing the difference between wants and

needs and learning appropriate ways of

getting needs met. Criminal behavior and

substance abuse are negative, dysfunctional attempts to meet one’s needs.

The Network program is based on the

premise that a sense of self-worth and

personal pride are the foundation of a

responsible lifestyle. Network environments are thus structured to foster respect

for self and others and to focus on supportive community living methods. These

methods have been developed, tested,

and refined by staff and participants over

time.

When staff introduce participants to Network, they clearly state the standards of

behavior expected and discuss how these

standards support individuals and the life

of the community. All participants must

make a commitment to fulfill their personal goals and live up to community

standards. At daily community meetings,

their performance on the standards are

reviewed and evaluated. Members participate in program management to

the degree that they demonstrate their

capacity to make informed, responsible

decisions.
Program Focus 7

PROGRAM FOCUS

Participants who commit a single rule

violation are not necessarily forced to

leave the program, but serious or continual rule violations are generally

cause for dismissal. Because of the

program’s rigor, about 37 percent of

those who enter Shock Incarceration

do not complete it.

While strict discipline and close supervision are integral to the treatment

plan, they also contribute to facility

security. Disruptive inmates are removed from Shock Incarceration and

transferred to a higher security prison.

Graduation ceremonies are attended

by DOCS officials and State dignitaries, often including judges, the Governor, and State legislators, in addition

to family members and friends. Graduation certificates are presented, and

special awards are made to the two

inmates with the highest and the most

improved evaluation scores. After

the ceremony many new graduates

introduce Shock Incarceration staff to

their families.

Phase 2:

Intensive Community

Supervision

The postprison phase of the Shock

Incarceration program—called

“AfterShock”—is operated by the

Division of Parole. AfterShock’s goal

is to continue the intensity of supervision begun during the incarceration

phase and to provide opportunities and

programs in the community that will

improve parolees’ chances for successful reintegration.

Although AfterShock is statewide, the

Division of Parole concentrates most

school or obtained a GED spend these

hours as tutors or literacy volunteers.

In fulfillment of the Network concept,

the education program also draws

on community resources, with volunteers from the community participating as tutors.

Evaluation of Inmate

Performance

Staff members evaluate inmates daily

in three areas—work assignments,

Network, and drill and ceremony—

and do weekly evaluations of their

participation in substance abuse treatment and education. Inmates are

graded on the extent to which they

accept criticism and show respect;

manage their time; and demonstrate

cooperation, positive efforts, compliance with instructions, and progress in

the program. Participants get quick

feedback—both positive and negative—on their progress.

The Shock Incarceration program

places strict limits on inmates’ behavior. For many participants, such limits

constitute a new and unique experience. Many enter Shock Incarceration

only to shorten their term of confinement, and some later decide they are

unwilling to make the positive lifestyle

changes demanded by the program.

A significant part of the life

— 6 hours a day — of a

DOCS Shock Incarceration

inmate is spent performing

hard work.
8 National Institute of Justice

PROGRAM FOCUS

of its resources in New York City

where almost two-thirds of the Shock

Incarceration parolees reside. Parole

officers supervising Shock Incarceration graduates have reduced caseloads—only 38 Shock Incarceration

graduates to 2 parole officers—to allow increased contacts between the

officers and parolees for home visits,

curfew checks, and drug testing.

Shock Incarceration parolees have

priority access to community services,

such as educational and vocational

training, increased employment opportunities, relapse prevention counseling,

and Network meetings. The Division

of Parole (DOP) contracts for specialized vocational and employment services from the Vera Institute of Justice

and for relapse prevention services

from the Fellowship Center in New

York City. Many Shock Incarceration

graduates have been hired by these

service providers to help other graduates readjust to community living.

Outcomes

New York’s enabling legislation specifically requires DOCS to evaluate

phase 1 of the program and the Division of Parole to evaluate phase 2.

Evaluation staff from both agencies

have coordinated their efforts to avoid

duplication and to produce studies

useful to policymakers. These agencies prepare a joint annual legislative

report. Results of these efforts follow.

Cost Containment

One goal of New York’s Shock Incarceration program is to reduce prison

crowding. To achieve this goal, DOCS

staff must recommend a sufficient

number of eligible inmates for the

program; a large proportion of those

recommended must volunteer to enter

the program; and a large number of

offenders entering the program must

complete it. It is also important that

participants be offenders who otherwise would be incarcerated rather than

placed on probation.

DOCS maintains that Shock Incarceration saves money in two ways: first,

by reducing expenditures for care and

custody; and second, by avoiding capital costs for new prison construction.

Graduation from Shock Incarceration

is the only systemic way New York

inmates can be released from prison

before their minimum parole eligibility date. Shock incarceration facilities

cost somewhat more per inmate per

day than either medium security or

camp facilities because they offer

more programming and have more

staff. Yet Shock Incarceration saves

care and custody costs by shortening

the terms of confinement for those

who complete the program. If Shock

Incarceration were not available, 60

percent of those inmates would go to

camps and 40 percent would go to

medium security facilities. Savings

realized from Shock Incarceration

were calculated by subtracting the cost

of having to house graduates if the

program did not exist.

DOCS estimates it saves approximately $2 million in care and custody

costs for every 100 Shock Incarceration graduates (about $20,000 per

inmate). For the first 8,842 graduates

from Shock Incarceration as of September 30, 1993, New York DOCS

estimates it saved $176.2 million in

care and custody costs. This savings

takes into account costs associated

with the 5,331 Shock Incarceration

inmates who did not graduate.

Exhibit 2. Characteristics of Participants

Males Females

Total Number of Participants, September 1993 1,188 129

Average Age 25.2 26.9

Average Years of Schooling 10.4 years 10.7 years

Average Number of Prior Felony Arrests 1.4 1.2

Parole Eligibility In 18.5 months In 19.4 months

Percentage Convicted of Drug Offense 66.3 percent 82.2 percent

Percentage Committed From New York City 53.2 percent 68.2 percent
Program Focus 9

PROGRAM FOCUS

Return-to-prison rates. DOCS has

compared the return-to-prison rates of

Shock Incarceration graduates with

three other groups at 12, 24, and 36

months after release:

■ Inmates who would have been

eligible for Shock Incarceration but

were paroled before Shock Incarceration was established.

■ Inmates eligible for Shock Incarceration who were screened for

participation but did not enter the

program.

■ Inmates admitted to Shock Incarceration who withdrew or were removed before completion.

Exhibit 3 shows the results of those

comparisons, which indicate that:

■ After 12 months, 10 percent of

Shock Incarceration graduates returned to prison compared to 16 percent for offenders who were eligible

before Shock Incarceration was established, 15 percent for those screened

but rejected by DOCS, and 17 percent

for those who withdrew or were removed from Shock Incarceration before completion.

■ After 24 months, 30 percent of the

Shock Incarceration graduates returned to prison, compared to 36 percent of the pre-Shock-Incarceration

inmates, 36 percent for the considered

inmates, and 41 percent of participants

who failed to complete the program.

This analysis performed by DOCS and

DOP researchers indicates that at 12

and 24 months, the Shock Incarceration graduates have significantly lower

return-to-prison rates than offenders in

60%

55%

50%

45%

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

Percentage Returned to Prison

Pre-Program Eligibles

Admitted, Removed

12 24 36

Months After Release From Prison

Screened, Rejected

Program Graduates

Exhibit 3. Return to Prison Rates for Shock Incarceration Graduates

and Comparison Groups

Additionally, DOCS estimates that

Shock Incarceration has freed up

enough space to accommodate an additional 1,954 inmates. This saved

DOCS $129.1 million in capital construction costs that would have been

needed if the Shock Incarceration program did not exist (based on a per-bed

capital cost of $52,000 for a camp bed

and $86,000 for a medium security

bed). Altogether, DOCS estimates that

through September 1993 Shock Incarceration saved $305.3 million in custody, care, and capital construction

costs. These estimates do not include

offsets for the added cost of intensive

parole supervision for Shock Incarceration graduates, however.

Educational Improvements

On the Test of Adult Basic Education,

a standardized testing instrument used

by DOCS, Shock Incarceration graduates on average increased both their

reading and math scores by about one

grade level during their 6 months of

confinement:

■ 45 percent increased their reading

scores, with half of these going up two

or more grade levels and 6 percent

going up four or more grade levels.

■ 61 percent increased their math

scores, with half of these going up two

or more grade levels and 14 percent

going up four or more grade levels.

Of the 593 Shock Incarceration graduates who were tested for the GED in

fiscal year 1992–1993, approximately

70.5 percent passed after a relatively

short period of preparation and study.
10 National Institute of Justice

PROGRAM FOCUS

the other three groups. At 36 months,

Shock Incarceration graduates still

return to prison at lower rates, but the

differences are only significant between the program graduates and the

considered inmates.

It is important to note that these

groups were not randomly assigned

nor were differences among groups

statistically controlled for in the analysis. It is possible that these differences

in return-to-prison rates are really due

to differences that existed among the

groups prior to the beginning of the

Shock Incarceration program. Certain

types of offenders could be selected by

the staff, or certain types of offenders

may be willing to participate. Therefore, any differences among groups

may be due to these preexisting differences and not from what is done in the

Shock Incarceration program. Another

possibility is that the program is a way

to select those who will be better risks

in the community if they succeed in

the program, because those who drop

out of the program fail at a higher rate

than the other groups.

Furthermore, the research does not

untangle the effects of the military

atmosphere, the rehabilitation aspects

of the program, and the intensive supervision. Any or all of these components of the program could affect the

return-to-prison rates.

Since Shock Incarceration graduates

are confined for substantially shorter

periods and fail at the same or lower

rates than the comparison groups,

DOCS officials believe the program is

meeting the goals of reducing the need

for prison beds without increasing the

risk to public safety.

Ongoing Research

Long-term evaluation efforts are under

way in New York; these findings will

increase understanding of how well

the program is working and lead to

modifications that will improve its

effectiveness.

Multisite Evaluation

In March 1989, DOCS was selected to

participate in an NIJ-sponsored

multisite study of Shock Incarceration

programs. Coordinated by Dr. Doris

MacKenzie, the multisite study has

been examining Shock Incarceration

programs in eight States. The research

design and data collected are similar in

each site. The study has three parts—

process evaluation, impact of the program on individual offenders, and

system changes including costs and

benefits—and has been looking at:

■ The goals of the programs.

■ The success of Shock Incarceration

programs in achieving the goals.

■ Components of shock incarceration programs that lead to success or

failure.

Results are expected to be available in

1994. While the eight programs have

some common features, they differ in

participants, program components, and

aftercare.

Typology of Shock Incarceration

Successes and Failures

In addition to participating in the

multisite study, DOCS is developing a

typology of shock incarceration success and failure to determine what

inmate characteristics or aspects of the

Shock Incarceration process were

associated with success or failure in

the program. A total of 63 interviews

were conducted with graduates returned to DOCS custody and 30 with

graduates who remained on supervision for more than 12 months without

any violation.

The study found that failure rates increased for inmates whose family

members had serious criminal convictions or substance abuse problems,

who were arrested at a young age, who

were incarcerated as juveniles, or had

a history of serious alcohol abuse. The

study also found that Shock Incarceration graduates who exhibited unwillingness to adhere to the rules of the

phase 2 program (for example, by

getting a job that interfered with parole supervision conditions, not attending meetings regularly, or dropping

out of substance abuse treatment) were

less likely to complete their parole

period successfully. DOCS staff are

using these findings to refine elements

of the program and requirements for

postrelease supervision.

Conclusion

Much still remains to be learned about

the shock incarceration approach as an

alternative sanction for nonviolent

offenders and particularly about New

York’s therapeutic approach. This

research used preexisting groups for

the comparisons (random assignment

was not used), and in the data analysis

no variables were added to control for

differences among groups. Therefore,

the results should be interpreted with

caution. Also, attempts to generalize

the results to other boot camps should

not be done without a careful analysis
Program Focus 11

PROGRAM FOCUS

Notes

1. Parent, D.G. (1989). Shock Incarceration: An Overview of Existing

Programs, Washington, D.C.: NIJ

Issues and Practices Report, National

Institute of Justice. See also

MacKenzie, D.L. (1993). “Boot Camp

Prisons in 1993,” National Institute of

Justice Journal, November: 21–28.

2. In 1990, New York’s Lakeview

Shock Incarceration Facility became

the first stand-alone such facility in the

Nation to be accredited by the American Correctional Association (ACA).

Since then, the three remaining Shock

Incarceration facilities, Moriah,

Monterey, and Summit, have received

ACA accreditation.

3. New York law permits Shock Incarceration graduates to be paroled before

they have served the mandatory minimum prison term that would otherwise

apply.

of the components of the programs

being compared. As described in this

Program Focus, the New York Shock

Incarceration program include numerous components that are not found in

other boot camp prisons.

New York’s Shock Incarceration program is notable in terms of its size,

intensity of treatment programming

and AfterShock care, and levels of

staff training. DOCS evaluation so far

indicates that the program is responding to the legislature’s call for reducing prison bedspace needs without

increasing the public’s risk. Even

more important, New York’s therapeutic approach may point the way for

redirecting the lives of a number of

young offenders, helping them stay

out of the criminal justice system

once they have paid their debt to the

community.

The National Institute of Justice is a component

of the Office of Justice Programs, which also

includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the

Office for Victims of Crime.

NCJ 148410 August 1994

Findings and conclusions of the research reported here are those of the researchers and do

not necessarily reflect the official position or

policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Cherie L. Clark is the Director of Shock

Development for the New York State Department of Correctional Services

(DOCS). David W. Aziz, Ph.D., is a research specialist with DOCS. Doris L.

MacKenzie, Ph.D., is associate professor

in the Department of Criminal Justice and

Criminology, University of Maryland.

Additional information about the New

York Shock Incarceration program can be

obtained from the New York State Department of Correctional Services, Building 2,

Harriman Office Campus, Albany, NY

12226 (518–457–3007).