The Effectiveness of a Shock Incarceration Program and a Minimum Security Prison in Changing Attitudes toward Drugs

Shock incarceration programs, or boot camp prisons, have been advocated as one means to deal with the recent massive influx of drug offenders into the criminal justice system. The study compares the attitudes of prisoners ( N = 103) in a minimum security facility and inmates ( N = 267) in a prison boot camp toward alcohol, marijuana, and hard drugs (measured by acceptability scales) over a 6-month period. The findings reveal that shock incarceration appears to be an effective program in changing attitudes toward the use of alcohol but has little impact on attitudes toward illicit drug use. It also appears that an inmate's history of alcohol and drug use has a greater influence on attitudinal change than does prison setting.