August 01, 2001
*Press Release*
GEORGETOWN
– Delaware’s only Boot Camp reached a milestone today – graduating its 500th
cadet in just four years of operation. Governor Ruth Ann Minner presided over
the graduation ceremonies of the program’s 23rd platoon – and
unveiled new statistics that show this innovative program is yielding impressive
results in turning around the lives of offenders.
The
Governor was joined by Department of Correction Commissioner Stan Taylor, Boot
Camp Commander Richard Tabler, state lawmakers, Sussex County officials and the
Camp’s 100 cadets.
“It
is important to find different ways to reach offenders before they turn into
serious career criminals,” said Governor Minner. “This is one such program.
Delaware’s Boot Camp provides the discipline and the programming that can put
these offenders on the path to becoming law-abiding and productive citizens.”
As
an alternative to traditional prisons, the Sussex Boot Camp - the first of its
kind ever in Delaware - provides military-style discipline through a highly
regimented routine of physical exercise, continued education, substance-abuse
therapy and community service. It focuses on behavior modification and
rehabilitation of adult offenders.
New
statistics unveiled by Governor Minner today show:
·
23 platoons have
graduated since April 1997
·
526 out of 689
participants have graduated - that’s a 76% graduation rate
·
98% of Boot Camp
graduates have a prior felony arrest
·
Only 25% commit
a felony 18 months after graduation – that’s
a 73% reduction in felony arrests
“A
73% reduction in felony behavior is significant,” said Governor Minner.
“That means fewer ex-offenders committing fewer new crimes. That, in turn,
means we are much less likely to be victims of felony crime.“
“The
idea behind the Boot Camp is to turn around these offenders before they turn
into more serious criminals,” said Correction Commissioner Stan Taylor.
“This is an alternative to prison -- and just what some inmates need to leave
our custody as productive, motivated individuals.”
As
part of the programming, cadets provide 4,000 hours of community service each
month – worth nearly $300,000 annually – to local municipalities and
non-profit agencies. Since the Boot Camp opened, cadets have performed a total of 165,000 hours of community service.
Each
Boot Camp graduate receives over 360 hours of Delaware’s internationally
recognized KEY substance abuse treatment and more than 250 hours of education.
The
Boot Camp opened April 15, 1997 when the inaugural squad of offenders from
various Department of Correction facilities moved into the $3.7 million, 100-bed
(90 men and 10 women) complex located within Sussex Correctional Institution
near Georgetown. The Boot Camp program lasts six months and integrates a new
platoon every two months. Representative Clifford G. “Biff” Lee (R-Laurel),
along with Senator James T. Vaughn (D-Clayton), sponsored the legislation
creating the Boot Camp.
In
1998, HB 733 was enacted expanding the eligibility for the Boot Camp. Before HB
733 was signed into law, the Boot Camp typically operated 35-percent under
capacity because of the strict criteria for selecting inmates for the intense
program. HB 733 enabled appropriate inmates who were sentenced prior to the
original Boot Camp Incarceration Act to be considered “Boot Camp eligible”.
Today, the Boot Camp is at full capacity with 100 cadets.
The
six-month Boot Camp program is divided into three phases. The first focuses on
military-style discipline and life skills, the second on drug treatment and
community service projects and the third on job-seeking and reintegration
skills.
Sussex
Boot Camp graduates must participate in aftercare programs and are placed on
probation for 2 ½ years, meeting with their officers twice a week.
“I
want Delawareans to feel safe in their homes,” said Governor Minner. “The
Sussex Boot Camp is doing a good job in rehabilitating offenders. And fewer new
crimes being committed in our communities makes our whole state a safer place in
which to live.”