NORWICH – Judge Frank B. Revoir, Jr. sat down to discuss New York’s Shock Incarceration program. Revoir said that he used to dismiss offenders’ requests to enter the Shock program as an attempt to serve less prison time. After visiting a Shock facility last month, he changed his mind and now thinks the program has the potential to reform offenders. He plans to consider the Shock program as a sentencing option earlier in offenders’ criminal history, rather than only using it as a last resort.
“The Shock program is based on idea that a person can be rehabilitated. Those that developed and supported the Shock program accept and believe in this idea,” said Revoir. “The Shock program is often mischaracterized as simply a ‘boot camp,’ but it is a much more comprehensive program than that.”
The New York Shock Incarceration program was established in 1987. There are now four Shock Incarceration correctional facilities in the state of New York and one facility will be closed. The Shock program is a six-month rehabilitation program that includes 500 hours of physical training, 600 hours of a therapeutic approach to treating addiction, a minimum of 260 mandatory hours of academic education, and more than 650 hours of hard labor. Once inmates complete the program, they undergo six months of an intensive “After Shock” parole program in their county and continue to follow up parole supervision for the remainder of their sentence.
According to the Shock Incarceration Procedural Manual, any male or female inmate from the ages of 16 to 49 years old can apply to the Shock program if they meet the following criteria: they are physically and mentally qualified, this is their first sentence to State prison, they are within three years of parole eligibility and they are not serving a sentence for a violent offense.
“I think the reason that violent offenders are not allowed to enter the program is to ensure the safety of its participants. The other criteria for eligibility are based on who has the most potential to benefit from the program. Shock is not for everyone. It is one tool in the toolbox of effective strategies to reduce crime and protect the community,” said Revoir.
According the Shock Incarceration Procedural manual, the rate of return post-release continues to be less than 10 percent and a majority of inmates become more effective and never return to prison after completing the program. As of 2009, more than 39,497 inmates, including 2,884 women, have graduated from the program. The manual additionally states the Shock Incarceration program has saved the State of New York more than 13 billion dollars.
Judge Revoir said that the military discipline and training helps inmates to become more effective citizens. “Studies show that military obedience helps to improve inmates attention, promotes harmony with others in the community, develops them physically, quickens them mentally, and gives them clearer insight into the meaning and benefits of discipline,” said Revoir.
Inmates are required to carry a booklet entitled “S.M.A.R.T. Book” with the program’s guidelines, expectations and teachings. It is a helpful reminder of the values and skills the inmates are learning in the program.
Judge Revoir said that inmates enter the program in groups called “platoons” and spend seven days a week and most hours of each day with those same individuals until graduation. “They live, eat, sleep and train together,” said Revoir. He described a day in the life of a Shock program inmate’s seven-day week. He said that the inmate’s day begins at 5:30 a.m. and ends at 9:30 p.m. Their day starts with military calisthenics, drills, physical training and a two to three mile run. Next, inmates have seven hours of hours of intensive labor, including community service, landscaping, construction and maintenance of the facility they are incarcerated in.
Revoir also said that, weekly, inmates receive a full day and two evenings of education classes, a full day of treatment activities, up to four hours a week of groups meetings that focus on problem-solving, confrontation and conflict-resolution, 12 step meetings, drug and alcohol counseling, therapeutic community meetings and individual counseling. “A majority of the inmates have had issues with drugs and alcohol, so they focus on those issues,” said Revoir.
Judge Revoir said there are three ways offenders can enter the Shock program; they can enter the program by his order, recommendation, or they can apply to the program themselves. “The hope of the criminal justice system is that offenders become good citizens. A vast majority of offenders come from similar backgrounds and were not taught the life skills that they learn in the Shock program” said Revoir. When sentencing any offender and when considering if they would be right for the Shock program, Revoir said he asks himself, “If it weren’t for their addiction, would they be committing crime?”
“In my experience, the vast majority of offenders have minimal self-worth. Shock Incarceration gives them a chance to gain self-confidence. If offenders do not have a sense of self-worth, they will continue to fail and commit crimes,” said Revoir.
He also said that members of the criminal justice system often look at incarceration as the last stop. “I used to be skeptical of rehabilitation programs, but after seeing one in action, I think they have the potential to reform certain offenders. I was there in the middle of it all and thought it was a great program that could do some good. We are waiting too long to use the Shock program. We are doing offenders a disservice by not sending them until the third or fifth time they commit a crime,” said Revoir.
Judge Revoir had the chance to personally see the progress of one of the offenders he sentenced to the Shock program. He was impressed with the change he saw in the individual’s demeanor and behavior. He was so inspired by what he saw at the program and in the offender he had sentenced that he decided to write the inmate a personal letter of praise.
Revoir wrote to the inmate and said, “It was my intention and hope that this shock incarceration sentence would provide you with the tools and knowledge necessary to enable you to take charge of your own destiny and make positive life-altering choices for yourself. I am impressed with your progress, and I am truly proud of you.”
The inmate responded to Revoir’s letter with appreciation. He said he was so happy to see Judge Revoir at the Shock facility and felt proud to show Revoir what he had accomplished. He thanked Revoir for sending him to Shock and said that Revoir’s letter made him feel good about himself. He also said that he was skeptical of the program at first but after spending a more than three months in the program, he would recommend it to anyone with a similar background. He looks forward to using what he has learned in the Shock program on the outside and to being a better person for his family.
“My job is to help keep the community safe, and attempting rehabilitate offenders by sending them to Shock Incarceration is just one way I can fulfill that goal. We really are engaged in a war on drugs, and I think Shock is a great resource to contribute to that cause. In my mind, I am going to keep it open to sending offenders for the first or second offense. I think it has the potential to make a difference.”