HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1433

             As Reported By House Committee on:

                       Human Services

Title:  An act relating to the department of corrections.

Brief Description:  Providing for a boot camp pilot program within the department of corrections.

Sponsor(s):  Representatives Tate, Hargrove, Winsley, Vance, Riley, Mielke, Padden, Edmondson, Orr, Bowman, Ferguson, D. Sommers, P. Johnson, Inslee, Beck, Lisk, Wynne, Hochstatter, R. Meyers, Kremen, Broback, Van Luven, Forner, Sheldon, McLean, Betrozoff, Wineberry, Neher and Paris.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Human Services, March 4, 1991, DPS.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

HUMAN SERVICES

Majority Report: That Substitute House Bill No. 1433 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 10 members:  Representatives Leonard, Chair; Winsley, Ranking Minority Member; Tate, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Anderson; Beck; Brekke; Hargrove; Hochstatter; R. King; and H. Myers.

Staff:  Antonio Sanchez (786-7383).

Background:  The Department of Corrections is responsible for providing services to evaluate, control and redirect the behavior of adult felony offenders committed to its jurisdiction by the courts.  The system provides programs designed to avoid idleness and promote the work ethic and self improvement opportunities.

The Department of Corrections currently does not administer a boot camp program.  The department does however administer four active forest camp programs throughout the State.  These programs house the men and women in barrack-style housing and require offenders to perform hard physical work in the forest, fight fires and to attend off-work education, drug treatment and anger management classes.

Correctional boot camps are  styled after the military model for basic training.  A boot camp contains three major characteristics:

1. A boot camp atmosphere, with strict rules and discipline;

2. Participation in military drills and physical training by the offenders; and,

3. Separation of offenders in the program from other prison inmates.

In January 1990, 14 states had one or more of these programs.

Summary of Substitute Bill:   The Washington State Institute of Public Policy is required to prepare a report on "boot camps," "shock incarceration programs," and other structured residential programs that provide education, rehabilitation activities, treatment, and after care for first time offenders and drug offenders.  The report will include the following:

(a) A description of the components of the programs discussed and how they operate;

(b) The rehabilitative components of each of the programs discussed, and data describing rehabilitation outcomes in each of the programs;

(c) Comparative recidivism data for each program discussed that includes comparison between appropriate programs in the United States, and between the programs discussed in the report;

(d) The types of offenders best suited to the programs described and studied in the report; and

(e) The direct and non-direct cost associated with housing, training staff, planning and operating each of the programs discussed.  

The policy institute must submit the report to the governor, the Legislature, appropriate state agencies, and local corrections agencies by December 12, 1991.

Original Bill Compared to Substitute Bill:  The pilot boot camp program is eliminated and replaced with a study conducted by the Washington State Institute of Public Policy.  The study will be on "boot camps," "shock incarceration programs," and other structured residential programs that provide education, rehabilitation activities, treatment, and aftercare for first time offenders and drug offenders.  The policy institute will submit the report to the governor, the Legislature, appropriate state agencies, and local corrections agencies by December 12, 1991.

Fiscal Note:  Requested February 12, 1991.

Appropriation:  Yes.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  None.

Testimony Against:  Boot camp prisons have been used in various states.  However, despite their popularity, no concrete evidence exists to show that the program reduces recidivism or rehabilitates inmates.  It is still to soon to know if these programs will work.  These programs can be expensive. 

Witnesses:  Dave Savage, Department of Corrections; and Bob Williams.