In September of 1996, the Nueces County Juvenile Justice "Bootcamp" began a program for juvenile offenders (ages 14-17) in lieu of sending them to prison. It is based on a military style discipline, and includes some academic classes. Each Cadet is incarcerated at least 8 months, and can be given additional time for unacceptable behavior. Upon graduation they still must complete all "probation time" that existed prior to entrance into the Bootcamp.

I have been involved with the Bootcamp as a volunteer since the beginning, conducting a one-hour class on Sunday mornings titled "Peace: Alternatives to Violence." The curriculum was designed to include videos, role-playing, stories (which the Cadets read), discussion, a guest speaker occasionally, some music, a joke before class begins, a prayer at the beginning and the end of the session. The content of the classes is a blend of morality not only from a theological perspective, but also its practical application toward a peaceful life.

Since many of these Cadets are/were gang members and many are one step away from prison, the thought that kept recurring to me from the beginning was to try to instill in them the idea that there is an alternative to a life of violence in its many forms. Even though this is not a religion class per se (i.e. CCD), many of the classes are based on religious topics. The curriculum was purposely designed along these lines in order to attract as many Cadets as possible, since many of them had never set foot in a church, have led a life of crime, most come from dysfunctional families, etc. Currently there are about 40 Cadets, of whom about 25% are girls. A new facility became operational in December 1999 with a capacity of 94 Cadets.

In addition to an introductory class, there are 34 classes which cover a wide range of Violence-Peace issues. (The 35 classes span the 8 months that each Cadet is required to be in the Bootcamp program.) The topics include: