To be clear, inmates at Moriah do not receive shock therapy, as its formal name seems to infer. Rather, non-violent felons, like DiSilvestre, are shocked by therapeutic social programs and military-style schedules designed to lower recidivism rates.

Still, there are two shock programs in New York that have proven effective and have drawn praise from state department heads, academics well-versed on military-style prisons and inmates. The prisons boast both lower recidivism rates and lower costs. Advocates say it's because of their focus on social programs and therapy, rather than just military drills and discipline.

Interviews with current Moriah inmates, people formerly held at Lakeview and Moriah, and incarceration experts reveal that there are several factors that make New York's program different. For one, the facilities themselves are unique. Unlike other prisons with towering three-story-high walls and guard posts with armed corrections officers, there's very little of that at Lakeview and none at Moriah.

Secondly, the New York prisons operate what are considered "second generation" shock programs, according to a report by the Department of Justice. New York shifted the focus from boot camp prisons, which were proven ineffective in the mid-1990s, to incarceration facilities that focus on therapy and education. Moriah and Lakeview's success, even when others have failed, seems to be how they merge discipline with education and self-based treatment, which is different from typical prisons, which offer very few if any therapy programs.

To read more of Joseph Darius Jaafari's article, visit, http://nationswell.com/new-yor...ivism/#ixzz4ovZYxgXi