Boot camps have proliferated in recent years. Popular and politically appealing, they are seen as providing strict punishment and exposure to treatment and guidance designed to turn young offenders around. Media images and anecdotes have played a significant role in promoting boot camps but have offered little insight into program effectiveness. Some boot camps emphasize military drills and physical activities, while others stress education and programming, particularly for drug offenders. They differ greatly from State to State in the number of hours devoted to physical training, work, education, and counseling. Boot camps appear to be no more effective than traditional prisons in preventing future crimes. Most boot camp programs are characterized by only marginal differences in recidivism that diminish over time. Limited positive results, however, have been reported by New York's Shock Incarceration Program. Research evidence also indicates that most boot camps have not reduced prison crowding because a significant proportion of offenders sent to boot camps would not have otherwise received prison terms. Further, boot camps cost as much as or more than traditional prisons on an inmate-per-day basis. Correctional, legal, staffing, and parole issues associated with boot camps are discussed, and the need for policymakers to carefully weigh existing information on boot camp effectiveness is stressed. 31 endnotes and 13 references