Juvenile Bootcamp

This work grew out of an assignment I had while Chief Photographer at The Albany Herald in South Georgia after the newspaper received information that a once empty prison for adults in Ocilla, Georgia, was to be modernized and used to reform juveniles. Juvenile courts from around the state would now have a new 316 bed facility for their troubled youth. The Youth Development Campus brought 165 new jobs to a rural economy, a $2 million payroll, and about $35,000 a year in property taxes. Recidivism statistics show that 64-71% youths return to such camps. I photographed the project in black and white using Kodak 3200 ASA recording film to facilitate a documentary and candid approach and to help crystallize those methods used in juvenile reform. The camp closed November 30, 2002, due to state cut backs. --SS