Boys lined up at the Burnett-Bayland Reception Center in Houston, Texas. This is part of the normal check-in here. A significant portion of the history of juvenile incarceration in Texas involves boot camps. The process of transitioning from this quasi-military style to a more restorative, dignified practices, takes about 10 years. The Center was originally built with a capacity of 144 beds, but was downsized to a 90-bed capacity. The population is 85 percent boys and 15 percent girls, and is heavily populated by African American juveniles. The Center has a drug program, a behavioral intervention program, a sex offender program, and a gang supervision program. The least recidivism is with sex offenders. 2/3 of the funding comes from the county and 1/3 from state/federal funds.

Both sets of juveniles in the images above are in residential treatment programs. Missouri (top) allows them to dress in casual clothing; Massachusetts (below) has them wearing scarlet jump suits.