In general, a boot camp can be referred to a training program within a facility which is highly disciplined like in a military camp, the staff working there act as training instructors, and there are strict rules to be obeyed inside the facility. These are mainly run by state governments as a means of correcting juvenile sentenced adolescents and teens, though recent private agencies have opened up as well. In a boot camp for troubled teens, the personnel study the defiant or behavioral nature of the teens, and try to get them back in the correct way of living.

The adolescents grow a gradual tendency to be independent, breaking away from the control of the parents. Often they are influenced by their friends, and have an inclination towards having a sudden arguments and an outbreak, and might result in them running away from the house. A boot camp studies these behaviors and other psychological predisposition, and makes use of physical challenges to overcome this, and tries to make them mentally stable. These kinds of training programs are expected to change the outlook of the teens, and can grow a sense of respect and obedience in them. The general aim of these camps is to effectively improve the behavioral approach of a teenager with means of force and imposition of strict rules.

Though a private camp will enroll any adolescent, but to be placed in a state run boot camp, the judge must sentence them form a juvenile court. These camps can have a duration ranging for a few weeks to a few months, each having different way of studying the teens. Depending on the duration, the boot camps for troubled teens can be short-termed, and they have a similar training program and are quite effective, but their effect is usually temporary, and once the teen gets home, the strict influence happens to wear off, and they might get back to their original state if the parents are not strict. The long-term camps are often referred to as juvenile boarding schools, where the teens can be placed for even a year, and are more likely to produce good results.

Basically the camps are a perfect place where any parent can consider sending their child, who might have wandered in the wrong direction. But they must study the success rate of the particular camp, and should decide wisely which one will be more beneficent. One should be particularly aware of the safety standards maintained in the camps, to avoid the child getting over-exhausted or have any negative emotional effects on them.