In the typical boot camp, uniformed participants are required to participate in a rigorous daily schedule of activities that include military-type drills, ceremony, and physical training. Punishment of misbehavior is immediate and usually involves some type of extra physical activity. Juvenile camps differ somewhat from adult camps in providing more academic education programs as well as treatment programs. Research that has examined the effectiveness of boot camps has focused on their various impacts, but most of the research has focused on camps' impact on recidivism. Past reviews of this research have concluded that boot camps are ineffective in reducing recidivism, with the caveat that those boot camps that emphasize therapeutic activities and aftercare may be effective. The current review focuses on experimental and quasi-experimental evaluations of boot camps and similar programs for both juvenile and adult offenders that have used a comparison group. Although boot camps have generally had no impact on recidivism when compared to more traditional corrections strategies, variations in impact were observed. Such variations tended to be linked to the presence and the quality of treatment and academic educational features of boot camps. There was no evidence that the military component of boot camps, which is the distinctive feature of such camps, has been effective in reducing recidivism. 57 references, 7 tables, and 1 figure