Allegations of abuse at three western Maryland boot camps for young offenders led to a $4.6 million settlement last week. The lawsuit alleged that guards routinely assaulted teenagers at the detention centers. Governor Parris Glendening ordered the boot camps closed in 1999 after a report by the Baltimore Sun revealed violations at the facilities. The assaults were later determined to have begun in 1996, when the first camp opened. As part of the settlement, a $2 million college fund will be established for former inmates of all three boot camps.