A federal investigation has been launched into Mississippi's boot-camp style juvenile offender program at Oakley. The U-S Justice Department is looking into allegations of inadequate medical care and sexual misconduct of the juveniles by the facility's guards. The Training Center is an all male facility located in Raymond and operated by the Department of Human Services. It is one of only two facilities for serious and repeat juvenile offenders in the state. A Justice Department spokeswoman says investigators are trying to determine if there is a pattern or practice of misconduct or abuse.

Was this the one where a kid died?!? Oh... maybe that was in Arizona.... has anyone heard about that one?!?
Scary what these kids are going through!!

yeah Shawna I heard about that, I think that was in AZ. It was a girl right? They had to run a certain amount of laps and she was laying on the ground. they thought or believed she was just acting and being lazy and let her laying there in the burning sun for several hours. when they finally went to check, they foudn out this girl was dead. how terrible can that be!!!

I hope the things they are investigating in this boot camp isn't happening (for the kids in there) and if it is really happening, that they will find out and punish the ones involved

THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL DEATHS ASSOCIATED WITH SOME OF THESE CAMPS--IT GIVES A REALLY BAD NAME BECAUSE SOME OF THESE TYPE CAMPS ARE VERY EFFECTIVE AND WELL-RUN WITH PROFESSIONAL STAFF--PARENTS NEED TO REALLY DO SOME INVESTIGATING BEFORE THEY SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO A CAMP LIKE THIS

For the most part I think that boot camps are great for kids who are headed for a life of crime. However I am worried about the camps that go too far with food deprivation and misconduct. Those need to be shut down.

i agree denise

indeed. they need to do some serious investigation to find out which ones are good and which ones not

>>>Those need to be shut down.<<<

I disagree. It's a matter of evaluating the purpose of the program and then the people that are running the system.

A program can be laid out to be very effective. But, the wrong "type" of people running it, would make it counter productive.

Scared stright,(cause & effect) military discipline,(mostly unknow by the youths) is effective for some, but can reach more if combined with Psychology.

The pleasure, pain approach and if both are not used, they have nothing to compare with. Most of these youth's have one train of thought (background) and that isn't going to be taken away unless there is something to replace it with. One can not creat a "void", that's just isn't going to happen!

SCARED STRAIGHT IS A WONDERFUL PROGRAM, BUT BRAY IS RIGHT, SOME OF THE LEADERS ARE NOT TOO SWIFT.... YOUNG PEOPLE SEE NO FEAR IN ANYTHING.... UNTIL,, THEY REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT CAN AND WILL HAPPEN TO THEM.... THEY SHOULD NOT BE SO MISTREATED THAT IT IS INHAMANE, BUT THEY DO NEED TO REALIZE THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES TO THEIR ACTIONS...

THERE IS A BOOT CAMP NOT TOO FAR FROM ME HERE IN THE COUNTRY, THEY HAVE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB AND 95% OF THE KIDS WHO GRADUATE NEVER NEVER GET IN TROUBLE AGAIN....

MOST KIDS LIKE THIS HAVE NEVER HAD PARENTS TO REALLY TEACH THEM THE PROPER WAY.... THEY NEED THAT TO SEE WHAT THEIR FUTURE HOLDS.

MY LOVE
DONNA

the documentary that I saw about a boot camp was very interesting. after a month or so the parents went on a visit. the parents noticed that their children had discipline and even walked straight. when they asked the kids, they said the most beautiful thing of the boot camp was to see the pride in their parents eyes...for most of the kids they saw that their parents were proud on them for the very first time in their lifes, and that was the biggest motivation

IN MY WORK WITH ADOLESCENTS, THE BEST INTERVENTION IS PEER CONFRONTATION- IN WILDERNESS CAMPS HERE -THAT IS ONE OF THE MAIN TACTICS THEY USE-IS VERY EFECTIVE- I HAVE SEEN KIDS MAKE A 360 DEGREE TURN-AROUND