All persons who entered the boot camp in 1 year were approached to participate in the study. Twenty of the initial 500 persons selected for the study dropped out of boot camp, leaving a sample of 480 participants. Subjects ranged in age from 16 to 40. Various instruments were used to measure sociodemographic variables, personality traits, criminal history factors, personal attributes, and perceptions of the boot camp environment. Discriminant analysis was used to determine what factors discriminated between three outcomes in a 3-year follow-up: nonrecidivists, recidivists who had committed additional crime after graduation from boot camp, and parole violators. Analyses indicated that current age, age when unlawful behavior began, incarceration as a juvenile, several personality deficits, peer influence, and perceptions of boot camp merely as an expedient avenue to quicker release discriminated between recidivists and the other two groups. Self-esteem, self-efficacy, resilience, expectations of future success, and favorable perceptions of various aspects of the boot camp experience distinguished nonrecidivists from others. Practice and policy implications of these findings are discussed. 4 tables and 67 references