Shock Probation/Shock Incarceration

A type of split sentence where offenders spend a brief amount of time in prison before being released on probation. The purpose is to demonstrate the seriousness and difficult conditions of prison so as to promote successful probation on release. One type of shock incarceration is “boot camp,” where young or first-time offenders are briefly (from three to six months) placed in a facility where they are made to participate in intense physical activity and mandatory education and/or treatment programs. The military-like training is designed to build self-confidence, improve decision-making skills, instill anger manage ment, and instill socialization skills. The point is to “shock” offenders so that they do not want to return and prefer to remain uninvolved with crime on release.