The Battalion
Page 5
Monday, April 23,1990
Boot Camp
(Continued from page 4)
The boot camp is patterned after the
military style of physical training and
strict discipline combined with hard la
bor. It is not meant to be easy; the term
“shock probation” more aptly applies.
Prisoners are awakened each morning
at 4 a.m. with reveille. Then they have
30 minutes to shower and clean their per
sonal areas for inspection.
As in the military, prisoners must
make their beds, shine their shoes and
iron their clothes. After inspection, they
march to the dining hall for breakfast.
At 6 a.m., the inmates line up in for
mation with their respective platoons.
Each of the four platoons is commanded
by a prison guard acting as platoon offi
cer.
Afterward, they run in double-time
about a mile to a remote location of the
Goree Prison Farm to perform hard la
bor.
The hard labor consists of clearing the
forest of pine trees at the back of the
land. Prisoners are not supplied with
power tools. They clear the land with
pickaxes and hoes, called aggies.
The prisoners form lines and work to
the cadence called out by the guards. Not
a word is to be spoken, or the inmates
will be disciplined. Large trees are cut
down with two-man saws, and the
stumps are removed with hoes and pick-
axes. The limbs and brush are sorted into
piles and burned.
After five hours of this strenuous
work, the tools are loaded on trailers,
and then the inmates again line up in for
mation. Under orders from the guards on
horseback, the inmates run in double
time back to the camp.
Once they return, the prisoners are
strip-searched and allowed to wash only
their hands before lunch.
As Pitzeruse said, “They don’t do
enough work to warrant a shower.”
The prisoners enter the dining hall one
platoon at a time for safety reasons. They
sidestep along the serving line and turn at
“ A
boot camp, there is no
second chance.”
— Capt. J.J. Pitzeruse,
Goree Boot Camp director
right comers. Then they stand at atten
tion until four are at a table and a guard
directs them to sit down.
Only 20 minutes are given for eating,
and silence must be maintained at all
times. After the allotted time is finished,
a guard instructs them again to stand at
attention. They are then dismissed to an
other formation.
After lunch, the prisoners are given a
short amount of free time. But the time is
all but free. They must clean their cubi
cles, shine their shoes, and iron their
clothes again.
At 1 p.m., the inmates practice their
close-order drills and marching tech
niques. The rag-tag platoons are
groomed into precision marching teams
under the guidance of the platoon offi
cers.
Only one hour is allowed for drills, but
not a minute is wasted. Inmates are
pushed to their limits and yelled at re
peatedly until the routines are performed
to perfection.
At 2 p.m., inmates go to substance
abuse classes and life-skills training.
These classes are designed to rehabilitate
the prisoners and guide them back into
the mainstream of society.
“We’ve got to teach them something
in addition to the physical activity,” Pit
zeruse said.
From 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., inmates
perform physical training exercises
which conclude with a two-mile run.
Then they are served dinner and fi
nally allowed “free” time. Lights out is at
10 p.m.
The schedule isn’t easy, but then
prison isn’t meant to be. The program at
the Goree Boot Camp is designed to give
young prisoners a chance to go through
hell for a short time instead of serving
many years behind bars.
It is hoped that the prisoners learn to
accept the fact that eventually, they will
have to take orders from someone. If
they decide to return to a life of crime,
they will be sent to the “big house.”
As Pitzeruse puts it, “After boot camp,
there is no second chance.”
Platoon officer Danny Bull “encourages” one of his inmates to straighten up
and perform the drill routine correctly.