Warning: This blog post contains some sensitive subject matter that some might find disturbing. This includes, but is not limited to: physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, and things that are just downright wrong. Please read only at your own risk. You have been warned.
Juvenile boot camps did not come to my attention until after I had read Todd Strasser's Boot Camp. When I had first picked up the book and read the inside-front cover, I thought it was purely a work of fiction. I have always enjoyed books of a somewhat disturbing and dark nature, and this one was no exception. However, after reading Strasser's afterword and looking at his list of references, my entertainment quickly became horror, eventually leading to absolute disgust. The dangers of juvenile boot camps are real, and this blog post is here to bring some of those facts to life.
Let me start with the incident I found most disturbing and almost made me physically ill just reading about. In Columbia Training School, a "school" for reforming at-risk adolescents, a girl that was has been named "H.D." by Jackson Free Press, carved the words "hate me" into her forearm with a toenail clipping and toothpaste cap after being shackled by the ankles for three straight weeks. H.D. was on suicide watch that night, but instead of staying with a trained professional, Columbia's staff members only peeked in on her at varied intervals of time, and only then it was to see if she was still in her small cramped room (read "cell"). This wasn't the first time the U.S. Department of Justice has heard of such complants about Columbia. Among the list of offenses were denying students adequate dental and medical care, staff members hog-tying students, shackling them to poles, and most distubing of all (in my opinion), forcing said students to eat their own vomit. Sexual abuse and assault were also among the list.
It is worthy to note that many of the children sent here are usually victims of past sexual and physical abuse from family and friends, which is what usually causes the "undesirable" behavior, and yet they are sent to these boot camps to "toughen up" and "reform". Usually, what is not realized is that many of the children that "graduate" from the program show even more problematic behavior than before, have nightmares for many years afterwards, and have just experienced what they have been trying to get away from.
As of 2007, at least fourteen children have died from abuse, mistreatment, and malnutrition juvenile boot camps. The worst part of this is that the majority of these children are not sent to these camps by the state due to juvenile crime, but by their own parents, who think they are doing the best for their child due to the pretty pictures on the "school's" website. When parents come to visit, all traces of the hideous life the children have led since arriving are cleared away, only to be implemented once again after said parent has left.
The cost of sending one's child to this kind of camp can reach up to $600 or higher a day. Honestly, what kind sick pleasure does someone get out of doing that to people?! I'm getting nauseous just thinking about it. Yes, the parents may not know what is really going on, and why? Because the staff of the camp tell parents that the children are being "minipulative" so they can convince their parents to bring them back home. All letters are screened, and ones that say anything "false" (read true) about the camps are torn up and thrown away.
Normally, I'd dismiss this as one of those rumors commonly found on the internet, but after reading article after article on such situations from reliable sources and databases, I just couldn't leave it alone. After finding out about these camps, I spoke about them to just about anyone who would listen. At first, I spoke to my parents, who knew about such things, but thought I already knew. Needless to say, they didn't seem too interested in keeping the conversation going and just let me ramble. I told friends who had children who told me they had misbehaved, but they would have nothing of it. I told teachers, librarians, close friends, only to get the same reaction (e.g. "That's nice, dear..."). Hence, I decided to blog about it here, so I could hopefully get some kind of discussion going about people who care and want to improve these matters.
On a final note, those who wish to particpate in military colleges or join the military, you need not worry about such abuse happening. While I cannot say it never happens, it rarely does. Boot camps in the military have improved much more, and the drill sergents cannot touch you in any way, shape, or form.
For those who still want to know more, please visit the following websites (many are not for the faint of heart):
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there was a mag that ran an article about this thing a couple years back. a boy was actually killed on one of those camps,
it's pretty gnarly, i hate to thionk about them because to me it 's like a mini concentration camp...
The past is the past, you can not change it. So don't dwell in your mistakes, Pick up the pieces, and instead learn from your downfall.
What about the children sent to boot camps who are NOT victims of any kind of abuse at home, those kids who are just so unruly parents do not know what to do anymore? I wouldn't want a child subjected to that kind of torment and torture, in fact, I think the parents who have kids in places where they are being abused should sue. But what can parents do to change an out of control child's behavior? There really just doesn't seem to be any options out there for any type of effective behavior modification.
Many have sued. As for the boot camps that aren't abusive, that's where parents should begin research. There are lists of the boot camps that have been proved as abusive on some of the websites I've listed, as well as ones that are successful and are not abusive.
I can remember when the little boy died from a boot camp in florida i think. it was all over the news and everyone was talking about it. i even think that all the boot camps in that state or in general was temporary shut down. This is not my first time reading about something like this before. last year and this year i have wrote my research paper on the effected prisons have on young victims who commintted crimes that were non voilent .yeah i do agree with you it is digusting the way those people treats the young victims or offenders in they head. yeah it is truth that you had to commit a crime to be send to boot camp or whatever but that don't mean that you should be puinsh nasty and be abuse because someone have power over you.
reading books like what u have read opens my mind and make makes me wonder about the different ways people can pretend to be sweet and innocent but still hurt you . Those kids who are in boot camps have some strength and faith because it's a hard life to deal with inside there. nice blog
I thought if i ever had problems with my kids i would send them there but i would never ever ever do that now.