Correctional Boot Camps: A Tough Intermediate Sanction - Chapter 6. Bureau of Prisons: Expanding Intermediate Sanctions Through Intensive Confinement Centers MENU TITLE: Bureau of Prisons Intensive Confinement Series: NIJ Report Published: February 1996 9 pages 18,913 bytes Bureau of Prisons: Expanding Intermediate Sanctions Through Intensive Confinement Centers by Jody Klein-Saffran, Ph.D. Jody Klein-Saffran, Ph.D., is a Research Analyst at the Federal Bureau of Prisons, specializing in community corrections, alternative sanctions, and recidivism. She has published a number of papers in scholarly journals and professional publications. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has two shock incarceration facilities, the Intensive Confinement Center (ICC) for men at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and the Intensive Confinement Center for women at Bryan, Texas. Both are adjacent or attached to Federal correctional institutions and contain a slightly older population (average age: 27) than State-administered boot camps. All participants are volunteers for the program, 90 percent of them committed directly by the court and the rest drawn from already incarcerated inmates. The Federal Government's ICC program shares many of the features of State programs but does not incorporate summary punishments or result in a reduction of participants' sentences. Through a daily regimen of physical training, work assignments, education, vocational training, and substance abuse treatment, the program seeks to improve offenders' decisionmaking, self-direction, and self-image and help them gain permanent employment. The 6-month incarceration period at the ICC facilities is followed by a community corrections period during which participants finish out their sentences, first at a halfway house and subsequently under home confinement. The overall objective of the ICC program is to change offenders' behavior so they will reduce their involvement in crime and become safely reintegrated into the community. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons' Intensive Confinement Center (ICC) program shares with State shock incarceration programs the same primary goal: to change offenders' behavior and ultimately reduce their involvement in criminal activity without compromising public safety. Yet there are several important differences between the Federal and State programs. First, inmates tend to be older at the Federal level than at the State level. The average age for an ICC male participant is 27 in comparison to the average age for participants at the State level, which is between 19 and 20 (MacKenzie and Souryal, 1994). Second, whereas most States reduce the sentences of boot camp participants, the Federal Government does not. Third, the Federal program does not use summary punishments by staff (as is done in some State boot camps) because it is inconsistent with Bureau of Prisons policy on inmate discipline, which follows due process procedures and carefully prescribes appropriate sanctions for acts of misconduct (Klein-Saffran, 1991). A fourth difference between the Federal ICC and many State programs is that the ICC places a considerable emphasis on nonmilitary rehabilitative activities in contrast with many State programs that focus primarily on military-type activities. ICC participants spend roughly 3 to 4 hours each day in various types of programs such as life skills, health and nutrition, substance abuse counseling, and adult basic education and GED (general equivalency diploma) instruction. A fifth difference, unique to the Federal program, is the community corrections component. All inmates who graduate from the ICC spend the remainder of their sentences in a halfway house (community corrections center) followed by home confinement. Although this component shares the objective of State aftercare programs, it provides a far more controlled environment. The Federal Intensive Confinement Center Programs Consistent with the Crime Control Act of 1990, the Bureau of Prisons' Intensive Confinement Center at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, was established adjacent to the U.S. Penitentiary and began accepting male participants in that same year. ICC Lewisburg is designed to incarcerate 192 adult male Federal offenders. In July 1992, an ICC for women was established on the grounds of the Federal Correctional Institution in Bryan, Texas. ICC Bryan is designed to hold 120 adult female offenders in dormitory-style barracks. As with all Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities, the ICC's mission is to maintain custody of inmates in an environment that is safe, secure, and humane. Both ICC Lewisburg and ICC Bryan were developed to direct offenders' behavior along prosocial lines without compromising public safety. Each ICC facility is purposely spartan and restrictive. In a highly structured environment, the ICC offers a specialized program consisting of a daily regimen of physical training, labor-intensive work assignments 6 days per week, education and vocational training, substance abuse treatment, and life skills programs conducive to a successful reintegration into mainstream community life. Each training cycle lasts 180 days. Program entrance is voluntary, and inmates who successfully complete the program are given the opportunity to serve the remainder of their sentence--a portion greater than otherwise would be possible--in a community-based program. This community component is designed to help offenders consolidate and sustain the gains they make during their incarceration. Program Foundation and Philosophy ICC program objectives are to help offenders develop responsible decisionmaking, self-direction, and a positive self-image, and obtain and keep a job. The intensive discipline, work, and program components of the regimen are designed to fulfill the decisionmaking, self-direction, and positive self-image objectives. Life skills classes and the postrelease community corrections component help participants attain the employment objective. Bureau of Prisons management philosophy focuses not only on humane care but also on the promotion of positive interaction between staff and inmates. The use of summary and group punishment in some boot camp programs is considered inconsistent with this philosophy and with BOP's policy of providing prescribed, appropriate sanctions for acts of misconduct. In both the Bryan and Lewisburg facilities, BOP has attempted to blend the more positive elements of the boot camp approach to discipline with the traditional components of inmate management. There are differences, however, in how the programs in the two facilities deal with inmates. For example, in establishing the program at ICC Bryan, BOP considered the particular concerns of female offenders with regard to interpersonal relationships, psychological issues, family ties, and similar matters. Perceiving that many female inmates lack self-confidence, Bryan staff encourage them to take more control over their lives. A greater effort is made to offer programs that strengthen their self-esteem, help them deal with domestic violence, and promote their parenting skills. Although less emphasis is placed on military drill than at the male ICC, this aspect of boot camp training has proved surprisingly popular with the female participants. While the two ICC programs differ in the respects mentioned, there are greater differences between the ICC and regular prisons, primarily with respect to mandatory classes to improve life skills, fitness, health, and nutrition, as well as substance abuse counseling sessions. In addition, the ICC inmates are taught to work together as a team, whereas in regular prison this is discouraged. In fact, the unspoken rule of "doing your own time" remains a strong component of the standard prison culture. At the ICC facilities, correctional officers are expected to establish close working relationships with inmates and gain more knowledge about their charges than would be the case in a typical prison facility. Eligibility Criteria and the Screening Process There are five basic eligibility criteria for initial court commitment designations to the ICC program. An individual must: o Be serving a sentence of 12 to 30 months. o Be serving a first incarceration sentence or have a minor history of prior incarcerations (e.g., for personal drug use or minor property offenses). o Pose a minimum security risk. o Lack medical restrictions. o Volunteer for participation in the program. For ICC Lewisburg, males must be 35 years old or younger on program entry.1 The original intent was for Bureau of Prisons regional office staff to identify candidates for the ICC program, with the concurrence of the sentencing judge. Optimally, all candidates for the ICC program were to be new court commitments meeting the eligibility criteria outlined above. When the ICC program started, however, only a few eligible court commitments were available. An administrative decision was therefore made to obtain volunteers for the program from persons incarcerated in minimum security facilities who met the eligibility criteria. Both ICC Lewisburg and Bryan now draw on offenders who are serving 12- to 60-month sentences at Federal institutions. However, direct court commitments currently account for over 90 percent of admissions to the ICC facilities. The ICC population differs in some respects from the overall Bureau of Prisons population when one compares offender profiles for ICC inmates with those of the general male and female inmate populations. This program's purpose is to place offenders in a highly structured, no-frills environment for teaching self-control and discipline, thereby reducing the potential for future incarceration. Initial designees may be rejected if they fail to meet the established criteria. The ICC Administrator has the option of terminating participants who fail to perform appropriately. Inmates who do not fully complete the program are reassigned to an appropriate facility and serve the imposed sentence without benefit of the special incentives derived from participating in the program. Admissions, Orientation, and Daily Schedule Once inmates arrive at an ICC facility, they are appointed to a team and participate in a 2-week admission and orientation (A&O) program. The A&O program familiarizes them with the mission, purpose, and scope of the facility and with the programs they will participate in. Each team consists of 40 to 55 participants who go through A&O and the ICC 6-month program together. During A&O, staff tell the inmates about the daily routine and the benefits of participating in the ICC program. Community Corrections After completing the 6-month intensive confinement period, inmates are transferred to a halfway house, or community corrections center (CCC). At the CCC, inmates progress through phases of increasing freedom based on demonstrated personal responsibility and commitment to law-abiding behavior. In most cases, the CCC phase ends with a period of home confinement supervised by CCC staff (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 1992). In addition, inmates with a history of drug and alcohol abuse are required to participate in Transitional Services, a program that offers inmates drug and alcohol treatment during the halfway house (CCC) period of their sentences. Arrival at a CCC marks the beginning of phase I (the CCC component) of the postincarceration period. The inmate is initially placed in the Community Corrections Center. In this first phase, the inmate is expected to maintain regular employment in the community but remain at the center at all other times unless authorized to leave for religious or other special program purposes. All family visits and leisure activities occur at the center. Those who adjust satisfactorily may progress to the prerelease component (phase II). During this period, inmates have greater access to the community and may visit family and friends outside the center until the evening curfew. They also become eligible for weekend passes and furloughs. Successful completion of phase II allows inmates to be considered for home confinement, phase III, whereby they live at home for the remainder of the term, under certain restrictions and reporting requirements (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 1992). Generally, progression through the phases depends on an inmate's favorable adjustment. An inmate who fails to comply with CCC or home confinement program requirements may be placed in a more restrictive program phase or terminated from community corrections programs altogether and returned to a regular correctional institution for the remainder of the sentence. Status of Program Participants A total of 1,015 males graduated between Team 1's graduation in ICC Lewisburg in July 1991 through Team 22's graduation in December 1994. Approximately 9 percent (94) failed during their first 6 months in the halfway house, and approximately 6 percent (70) failed after 6 months. Reasons for the 10 arrests included driving with a suspended license or under the influence of alcohol, fighting, possession of drugs, spouse abuse, shoplifting, sexual assault, and trespassing. A total of 457 females graduated between January 1993 and December 1994, of whom 30 (6 percent) failed within the first 6 months of the halfway house and 21 (4 percent) during the second 6 months. Two of the three arrests were for fraud. After 1 year or longer, six more females failed. The Bureau of Prisons Office of Research and Evaluation is conducting a study to determine if ICC reduces recidivism among graduates. To this end, researchers are comparing recidivism rates among prison inmates in the first four graduating classes to rates for a control group of regular minimum-security inmates matched for their backgrounds and several variables. Recidivism was defined as a return to prison from a halfway house, rearrest while on parole, or parole revocation for violating parole conditions. Summary of BOP's Rehabilitation Process The ICC program is an intensive application of BOP's general approach to rehabilitating offenders in Federal correctional facilities. The Bureau of Prisons sees the offender rehabilitation process as involving three elements: the institutional experience, community involvement in the offender's life, and the offender's personal actions and personal choices. The institutional experience. Prisons have the first-stage rehabilitative responsibility of providing inmates with access to appropriate programs. In the ICC, this consists of the intensive program opportunities previously described. Prison staff develop ways to promote self-motivation and encourage inmates to function as productive citizens. Innovative techniques are needed because traditional self-improvement and treatment programs have already failed to significantly help these offenders. Community involvement. The community has a different but equally important responsibility in rehabilitating offenders. Generally, community support starts with the willingness of family and friends to maintain contact with imprisoned offenders, assuring them that they are still part of the community even though physically separated from it. Especially critical to this phase of the rehabilitation process are programs and organizations that continue to provide support after the inmates are released from prison. They provide offenders services such as job placement, counseling, housing, and other programs vital to successful reintegration into the community. Inmate responsibility. The third and most fundamental area of responsibility in the rehabilitation process rests with the inmates. For institutional programs to be effective and for community-based activity to be supportive, inmates must choose to better themselves and not commit crime upon release. The ICC program charges participants with the responsibility of taking advantage of all the resources offered to them as they plan for their release as law-abiding citizens. Future Directions The Bureau of Prisons' ICC program has received the enthusiastic support of politicians, correctional administrators, and line staff, who value the ICC as an option for offenders who would previously have served their sentence in a regular prison environment. As shock incarceration programs become more refined over time, administrators will want to retain those features the research has shown to be effective and eliminate those proved ineffective. Moreover, if shock incarceration programs are to serve as a useful sanction along the continuum of intermediate punishments, it will be expedient for research to extend beyond the prison facility to include followup with community components. Administrators believe services such as postrelease drug treatment and employment counseling will facilitate reintegration into the community. Organizational commitment to make these policies successful in practice will make it more likely that expectations will be met. Shock incarceration programs, at whatever level of government, constitute more than just a response to prison crowding and political policy. They serve a special need for specific offender populations. The results of evaluations of these programs that take these special needs into account can then be used to expand program options and maximize positive outcomes. Note 1. This criterion was changed for the male population in January 1994. Currently neither males nor females have to meet age requirements to be accepted into the ICC program. References Federal Bureau of Prisons, Operations Memorandum 120-92 (5391), 1992. Klein-Saffran, Jody. "Shock Incarceration, Bureau of Prisons Style." Research Forum, 1(3), 1991. Klein-Saffran, Jody, David A. Chapman, and Janie L. Jeffers. "Boot Camp for Prisoners." Law Enforcement Bulletin, 62 (1993):13-16. MacKenzie, Doris L. "Boot Camp Prisons: Components, Evaluations, and Empirical Issues." Federal Probation, 54, no. 3 (September 1990):44-52. MacKenzie, Doris Layton, and Claire Souryal. Multisite Evaluation of Shock Incarceration. Evaluation Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 1994. Parent, Dale G. Shock Incarceration: An Overview of Existing Programs. Issues and Practices in Criminal Justice. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 1989.