Boot Camp Schools for Troubled Teens

Parents for years have been threatening unruly teens with a stay in boot camp. While often frivolous, that threat does have a basis in reality. Several different types of structured environments, often called boot camps or boot camp schools, are available for the unruly child. Successful results, however, take effort on everyone's part.

  1. Function

    • Boot camp schools for troubled teens serve as structured environments designed to get the teens back in line. Acting out, staying out late, drug and alcohol use and other problems that the teen may be showing will in no way be tolerated in these facilities. It's an instant way for a teen to break a drug habit, as he will have no choice. One more role the boot camps play is giving the parents a break, since the teen will be out of the home and in a safe, controlled environment for a period of time.

    Types

    • Different types of boot camp schools for troubled teens are available, depending on specific needs. They range from the hardcore military schools and true boot camps to the less-stringent residential treatment centers and behavior modification schools. Specialty schools are another category, which may target specific areas, such as drug abuse or mental disorders.

    Features

    • True boot camps or boot camps schools are usually state funded and available only if a judge mandates them. While some of the other facilities may be loosely called boot camp schools, they are in reality behavioral-modification boarding schools. Regardless of their title, these facilities demand a strict schedule, often dormitory-type rooms, and lessons in everything from team building to academic subjects. Minimum terms of stay are usually a month, but can stretch much longer.

    Considerations

    • Boot camp schools and similar facilities can be costly. The only ones that are free are those funded by a particular state, in which case the teen already has to be in the juvenile court system. Others cost thousands of dollars for a mere twenty-eight days, up to tens of thousands for a longer stay. Also note that many will expel the teen and send him home if he is truly unruly and incorrigible. It's highly doubtful any money will be refunded.

    Warning

    • Sending a kid to boot camp, or another type of behavioral modification facility, is not always an easy or instant answer. Some teens may soon learn to go along with the system, as that offers the least resistance, only to slip back into old, defiant behaviors once the schooling is finished. Changing any teen's behavior is a long-term goal and never a quick fix. Therapy and other psychiatric services may be helpful in conjunction with the school, provided the teen is willing to be honest and truthful.

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