Juvenile Boot Camps

Does Your Teen Struggle With the Following?

• Family Conflict, Argumentative, Abusive Behavior
• Blatant Disregard for Rules
• Can't Accept "No" For an Answer
• Abrupt Change in Personality
• Never at Fault - Shifts Blame to Others
• Uncontrollable Anger - Poor Emotional Control
• Can't Accept Feedback - "Above the Law"
• Manipulative - Pits Parents Against Each Other
• Lying - Stealing - Sneaky Behaviors
• Lack of Motivation - Lazy - Resists Tasks
• "I hate you," attitude
• "You can't make me," attitude
• Substance Abuse - Alcohol or Drugs
• Skips School - Truancy
• School Suspensions - Authority Problems
• Grades Have Fallen - Academic Problems
• Can't Keep Friends - Peer Problems
• Legal Problems - Facing Justice
• Fighting - Violence and Aggression
• Gang Involvement & Glorification

Has there been a diagnosis of a disorder?

• Danger to Self or Others
• Runs Away or AWOL
• Conduct Disorder - Diagnosed or Observed?
• Poor Choice of Friends - Easily Misled
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
• Bipolar Disorder - Diagnosed or Observed?
• Low Self-Esteem or Poor Self-Image
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)
• Depression - Diagnosed or Observed?
• Attempted or Threats of Suicide (Ideation)
• Drug Abuse or Addiction
• Alcohol Abuse or Addiction
• Smoking or other Tobacco Use
• Sexually Active - Risky Behavior
• Cutting - Self-Harm or Mutilation
• Adoption Issues - Associated with RAD
• Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)
• Eating Disorder (Anorexia, Bulimia)
• Learning Disabilities - Diagnosed?

Do not fall into the trap of believing that the more painful and brutal an intervention on a troubled teen can be, the more effective it is. That is simply not true. The same power within a troubled teen that causes misbehavior can be channeled into true strength. Troubled teens do not need Juvenile Boot Camps. They need to be taught how to overcome their issues. They need to be taught how to discover their own strengths, and understand the difference between strength and weakness.

Often when teens struggle with the numerous issues they face in today's society they become, frankly, quite unpleasant. Thousands of families throughout the country have felt that the best way to get youth back on track is to send them to juvenile boot camps. The idea is to both "straighten them out" and to legally punish them in the most painful way possible. However, unreported in both the media and from these programs is the fact that there is very little statistical evidence that juvenile boot camps have a long-term impact on the success of the child. In fact, there is mounting evidence that they are both ineffective and in many cases detrimental.But there are other options to juvenile boot camps. InsightPros is here to help.

The idea of "shock incarceration" as a tough, low-cost alternative to more intensive programming brought about the establishment of Juvenile Boot Camps.

Are juvenile boot camps effective? Experts agree that a confrontational approach to juvenile issues is often inappropriate. Most correctional experts agree that a confrontational model, employing tactics of intimidation and humiliation, is counterproductive for most juveniles. The use of this kind of model has led to disturbing incidents of abuse. For teens with emotional, behavioral, or learning problems, degrading tactics may be particularly inappropriate and potentially damaging. The bullying style and aggressive interactions that characterize the juvenile boot camp environment fail to model the pro-social behavior and development of empathy that struggling teens really need to learn.

Positive changes demonstrated while in juvenile boot camps may not last when a student returns to his community. Many teens report that the program is helpful to them, and they feel more positive about their futures. It is unclear, however, whether these attitudes persist after students leave the juvenile boot camps, or whether they are related to actual changes in behavior once a youth returns to his community. Without significant therapeutic intervention while in the program, as well as specialized aftercare following release, juvenile boot camps have been consistently unsuccessful in "changing" troubled youth.

What are the alternatives to juvenile boot camps? Teens who need some form of treatment care require an individualized approach that takes their strengths and needs into account. Programs and policies should be family-centered, including the family in all decision making about a child, as well as culturally and developmentally appropriate. Research has shown that small, family-centered programs are more effective than juvenile boot camps for long-term change.

You have made the right choice in seeking help. The next step is to contact us. We have vast experience in the treatment care industry. We have worked in the industry. We have lived in the industry. We have seen what works ...... and what doesn't.

We will guide you. We will inform you. Take advantage of our knowledge and insight. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

To inquire regarding placement in a residential program that is NOT a Juvenile Boot Camp, follow the contact link above. To talk with someone regarding placement in a TEEN HELP SCHOOL follow the link and call us now.*