Why Boot Camps Don't Help Struggling Teens

You've undoubtedly seen them on television: Boot camps designed to "scare straight" troubled teens by teaching them lessons in "discipline" and "consequences". They make great programming. After all, they're confrontational, emotional and wildly different from the norm.

For some, the appeal is watching one of those "smart-aleck kids" receive a come-uppance. For others, it's riveting because they are dealing with an at-risk child and are desperately searching for an answer. Unfortunately, these boot camps really don't help struggling teens. While some participants may make some progress, these programs can often do more harm than people think and they often fail to produce any lasting or meaningful change.
The idea is simple.

By showing the kids the consequences of disobedience within a strict environment and confronting them with challenges that demonstrate their lack of invincibility, boot camp faculty hope to reinforce the idea that it's important to respect authority and to teach students an object lesson in the negative consequences of defying it.
They also believe that challenging the children can give them some sense of personal accomplishment and more belief in their abilities. The problem? It just doesn't work.

Struggling teens may be dealing with a host of issues, but they're not stupid.
They can quickly learn "the rules of the game" and they'll be more than happy to fake their way through a temporary period of playing by those rules in order to avoid punishment. They know what to say and how to say it, too. They might not be able to verbalize the underlying logic of the boot camp accurately, but they can certainly sense its purpose and how to skirt its ugliest components.

When the exercise is over, what really changes? Very little.

The drill instructor is gone. The cold nights of open camping are just a story to tell others.
They lasted through a boot camp and they utilized their manipulative skills to graduate with honors.

The experience doesn't necessary change their outlook on the world or the way they see themselves.

Real help for struggling teens involves more than yelling, screaming and strict enforcement of behavioral expectations.

It requires giving kids the space for real introspection, learning and personal growth in a supportive and therapeutic environment. Boot camps make for interesting afternoon talk show fodder, but they don't permanently changes lives as often as their directors would like you to think.