I had a roommate at college who was sent to military school, it apparently didn't improve him at all since when I roomed with him he would have fit right in as a Deagle Nation member. To the point, I don't think Tyce is a fixable case, honestly hospitalization/rehab (with all the shit he tries, he has to be addicted to something) and a group home would suffice for him.
I think you're missing the point of most military schools (also christian schools, hippie commune schools, scientology academies, and so on). Most don't exist to improve kids (and don't improve them). They exist so that parents can send their kids
far away from them until they are old enough to be forcibly emancipated, all while letting parents feel good about themselves pretending they are "helping" their kids. But before you think too harshly of the parents for doing that, consider this: If you were Tyce's father, wouldn't you rather ship him off to Camp Hill, Nevada, instead of dealing with his shenanigans on a daily basis?
Of course whether or not the student actually improves really only depends on the student himself. Just like always. For someone like Tyce? Not gonna happen. But sending Tyce to military school would at least mean it would not happen
very far away.
People are cooking meth in the trailer parks out there. Heroin not as easy to get, though they'll go to Worcester or Springfield for just random shit.
But even trailer parks can be scary, sketchy places for sheltered suburban white boys like Tyce and Jace.
To be honest, I'm almost a little surprised Jace and Tyce haven't tried cooking meth themselves. Given Jace's non-existent stove using skills (virtual and real life) it would not have gone well, but I'm still a little surprised they haven't even tried it. Then again, maybe on some level they do understand that even meth is a little beyond their abilities, and they know jenkem is more their métier.