Gender Differences in the Perceived Severity of Boot Camp
ORCID
May: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8275-6773
MSU Affiliation
Social Science Research Center
Creation Date
2026-06-01
Abstract
We analyze survey data from 181 male and 224 female inmates serving brief prison terms for nonviolent offenses to examine offenders' perceptions of the severity of hoot camp compared to prison. Building on the limited work in this area, we present reasons those offenders feel are important to both avoid and participate in alternative sanctions. Results show that men are more likely than women to choose prison over any duration of boot camp, men identify more strongly than women with reasons to avoid alternatives, and women will serve more boot camp than will men. Binary logistic and OLS regression analyses for the total sample, and by gender, reveal that prior experience serving boot camp increases the likelihood that offenders will enroll in boot camp to avoid one year of imprisonment, as well as the amount of boot camp that offenders are willing to serve. In addition, controlling for potentially relevant factors, women will serve more boot camp than men to avoid imprisonment, and being a parent has a significant, positive impact on the amount of boot camp that women (but not men) arc willing to endure to avoid one year of prison. Findings have implications for the use of alternative sanctions (particularly hoot camp) in corrections, and for undersuindine "rational choice" processes among male and female offenders. © 2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date
9-22-2008
Publication Title
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Group; Routledge
First Page
153
Last Page
175
Recommended Citation
Wood, P. B., May, D. C., & Grasmick, H. G. (2005). Gender Differences in the Perceived Severity of Boot Camp. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 40(3–4), 153–175. https://doi.org/10.1300/J076v40n03_08
