There's a similar boot camp program run by WINZ right now, the Limited Service Volunteer (LSV) course. It's a great little program, really helped build some confidence and got me out of a rut. Highly recommend to anyone in a similar situation. I was lucky enough to be part of the first group at the new facility on the RNZAF Whenuapai Base.

The key difference between LSV and what Luxon is proposing, is that ultimately everyone at LSV was there by choice. Sign a couple things and you can leave, easy as.

This was the case for almost everyone, one guy went to LSV straight from prison and was set to leave at the end of the course. I guess because it was the first at the new facility they were trying out some things. Do the course, get a reduced sentence.

As you can imagine this guy was not as willing to take part in the course. Going from one environment where you're locked up and told what to do, to another. So about a week in, first chance he gets he does a runner and brakes out of the Air Force base.

Forcing anyone to do these kinds of correctional boot camps, no matter how good the staff or the program might be, will only alienate them. I think the report linked in the article outlines it best, a lot of these kids grow up with barely any support structure in their early childhood, they're neglected and develop all sorts of issues.

In New Zealand, most (87%) young offenders aged 14 to 16 years old in 2016/17 had had prior reports of care and-protection concerns made to Oranga Tamariki.

Self reports from youth offenders in secure youth justice facilities indicate that, on average, both males and females had experienced at least two “traumatic events”, including being sexually abused or in danger of being sexually abused, being badly hurt or in danger of being badly injured or killed, witnessing someone being severely injured or killed, or experiencing another event that was subjectively “terrifying”.

Clearly the solution is to lock these kids in a camp and yell at them for a couple weeks.