SOUTHLAND : Teens Enter Drug ‘Boot Camps’
Two “boot camps” for young drug abusers opened today in the San Gabriel Mountains as Los Angeles County joined a debated national trend toward quasi-military programs for delinquents.
Teen-age drug abusers who are made wards of the court will get heavy doses of exercise, military drills and drug counseling in addition to full days of classes, said Harold Garrison, director of one of the facilities, Camp Mendenhall.
Ed Anhalt, director of Camp Munz, the other facility, said the program is intended to instill discipline and self-esteem. “Some of these kids have never been part of a team other than a gang,” he said.
County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, the sponsor of the idea, said 214 juveniles already have arrived at the camps.
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