Citation

Marcus-Mendoza ST, Klein-Saffran J, Lutze F. Women Ther. 1998; 21(1): 173-185.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1300/J015v21n01_05

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Penal law in the United States reflects a strict moral ideology. This moral philosophy has dictated the laws that govern women and the punishments that they receive. Therefore, correctional programming for women has been focused on punishment and has not addressed the needs and problems of women inmates. Boot camp programs (shock incarceration), a low-cost, short-term alternative to traditional prison programming, are one example of such programming. Correctional boot camps teach discipline and responsibility by "breaking down and building up" inmates so that they will no longer commit crimes. However, the assumption that female offenders commit crimes because they are lacking in discipline and responsibility has not been substantiated by research. In addition, feminist therapy theory is not consistent with some boot camp practices. This paper will examine the social context of female criminality and the resulting implications for prison programming for women, and boot camp practices will be examined in the context of feminist therapy practices.