Factors That Discriminate between Recidivists, Parole Violators, and Nonrecidivists in a 3-Year Follow-Up of Boot Camp Graduates

The authors conducted a study of recidivism of 480 male graduates, aged 16 to 40 years, of a boot camp in the South. Discriminant analysis was used to determine what factors discriminated between three outcomes in a 3-year follow-up: (a) nonrecidivists, (b) recidivists who had committed additional crime after graduation from boot camp, and (c) parole violators. Analyses indicated that present age, age when unlawful behavior began, incarceration as a juvenile, several personality deficits, peer influence, and perceptions of boot camp merely as an expedient avenue to release discriminated between recidivists and the other two groups. Self-esteem, self-efficacy, resilience, expectations of future success, and favorable perceptions of various aspects of the boot camp experience distinguished nonrecidivists from others. Practice and policy implications of these findings are discussed.