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Every year, over 100,000 people are arrested in miami-dade. a large majority are repeat offenders. >> that's where you're going now. you understand that? march. ahead. ahead. ahead. >> in an effort to help reform inmates and reduce the recidivism rate, miami-dade has implemented an intensive and rigorous military-type program called boot camp. >> why don't you leave me alone? >> why don't you leave me alone? >> why don't you let me go home? >> why don't you let me go home? >> started in 1995, boot camp only accepts 38 inmates every 2 months, many of whom have committed nonviolent crimes. ultim...

If you want to go to school, getting a job if you want to get a job and preparing yourself for the outside world. >> james august was found guilty of burglary and grand theft, but because of boot camp, his sentence is only six years of probation. >> a lot of these people, they come here and they don't know that they can work. and they think, well, the only way i'm going to get money is if i sell drugs, if i rob, if i steal. you know, they've never really had a sense of pride in anything that they do. so when they begin to do something and they get proud of it, then it brings about a change in ...

And they have to complete our program or they will be sentenced to whatever it is for the crime, whether it be 5, 10, 15 years, or sometimes even life. >> i would be facing 15 to 30 years on armed robbery and kidnapping. so i decided to come to boot camp instead of facing 15 to 30 years. >> there is a criteria to come here and not all of them may meet that criteria. there's the physical aspect of it and psychological aspect and they must pass these tests in order to qualify to come here. >> age is also a criteria for acceptance into the program. all inmates must be between 14 and 28 years old....

Center, i believe the most effective vocational program we have here is our cosmetology because they have the opportunity to receive a certification and it does not print they received this in jail so then they can present that to a possible employer when they get out. >> hold your ridge, hold your ridge. start to clean out. swing it. that's it. see it closes up the openings? you got it? >> elizabeth valenza is the head instructor for the cosmetology program. >> i'm here for them and that's very important to them. i mean, that they would tell you straight out. they would tell anybody. that's g...

>> left, left. left, right. >> while in the program, participants are no longer considered inmates, they are cadets. >> the biggest shock to the cadets when they arrive is having to do something that somebody else tells them to do. drop your tray. ready, ready, ready. sit. >> on the street, you free to do anything you want to do. in boot camp, you got to ask for permission for any little thing you want to do. >> fix it in the tray. >> all right, sir. >> how about aye, sir? >> aye, sir! >> i say ready, ready, ready, eat! >> the first thing that hits them is we're in charge. we're going to tell ...