Boot Camps

Charlie Gates reports at Stuff:

A controversial “boot camp” for New Zealand’s worst young offenders should be scrapped after new figures show a high reoffending rate, a Labour MP says.

The military activity camps (MACs) were launched in 2009 by Prime Minister John Key. The eight-week course includes a wilderness camp, education and drills.

It is held at Te Puna Wai youth residence near Christchurch and costs $36,000 for each participant.

Fifteen of the 17 people who attended the first two trial MACs have reoffended, and four of those are in prison, the figures show.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said eight of the 15 offended less frequently and nine committed less-serious offences.

The boot camps sounded a worthwhile exercise but my first reaction to this story was if they don’t work, then one should accept that. But I then saw that these are just the results of initial trials, and later on read:

The new figures do not include a breakdown of offences or information regarding the 10 people who graduated from the first official MAC in November or a second quake-disrupted camp in February.  …

The later trials had more support for participants, she said in an email to The Press from a spokesman.

“The concept trials of MAC helped us to develop the programme, but didn’t include the follow-up support, mentoring and supervision that’s built into the actual MAC programme as it will continue to run,” she wrote.

“These are the toughest young offenders to work with. We are never going to get 100 per cent of these young people never reoffending 100 per cent of the time, so let’s get real about that, but it’s about steps in the right direction.”

I wouldn’t rush to conclusions based on just 17 people from initial trials. However if the re-offending rate doesn’t improve with later camps, then one should consider a different approach. But I’d like to see at least a couple of year’s worth of data involving at least 100 participants.