Tom Elliott thinks troubled youths should be sent to boot camp

Tom Elliott has come up with a solution for disenfranchised, troublesome youths.

Send them to boot camp.

‘These kids lack discipline,’ he said.

‘Discipline is what stops us from just going out and doing whatever it is we feel like. It’s what holds society together.’

He thinks it’s a lot better than any other solution we’ve tried.

‘It’s no good fining them, because not many of them would have any money,’ he said.

‘You send them to the Parkville youth detention centre, they mark that as a badge of pride.

‘You could punish their parents, but that seems a bit unfair.

‘I firmly believe the time has come for a military-style boot camp.

‘They can exercise, they get decent food, they learn the value of teamwork, they might even learn some valuable skills.’

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Leo O’Reilly is the operator of a military-style youth camp in Queensland.

He told Tom the camp is all about personal development.

‘It’s not about punishment, it’s about training,’ he said.

‘Life is a consequences-based activity. You are responsible for the outcomes of your actions.’

Click play to hear his story