Scared Straight!

Scared Straight!
by Arnold Shapiro

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• Hosted by Peter Falk (Columbo), the Oscar® and Emmy® award-winning Scared Straight! recounts the day seventeen teenage lawbreakers spent inside the Rahway maximum security prison with the most dangerous criminals New Jersey had to offer. Calling themselves "the Lifers," these convicts gave the youths an in-your-face, no-holds-barred account about life in prison, sharing every ugly detail

Movie Reviews of Scared Straight!

Movie Review: Required viewing
Summary: 5 Stars

Now keep in mind, these teens, ages ranging from 15 to 17, were some of the worst of the worst, their crimes ranging from arson, breaking and entering, theft, grand theft auto, assault, etc. The goal was to show these teens the consequences of a life of crime, the harshness of the prison system, a glimpse into the reality of where they where headed.

The documentary, hosted by Peter Falk, starts out by interviewing the teens prior to their entry into the prison. These kids are extremely cocky, and it would be funny if it weren't so sad. They talk tough, act tough, and seem to have very little regard for their actions. On entering the prison, they are processed, just like any other convicted felon, and lead to cells where they spent and hour before their two-hour meeting with a select group of prisoners. To these kids, this was just an opportunity to get out of school for a day, but it became so much more.

The prisoners berated the youths in an effort to show them that the kids weren't as tough as they thought they were, and also gave them a real good look into what prison life is really like. Some of the kids seemed to the point of tears, and all seemed frightened and very shaken. Some prisoners recounted harsh experiences within the prison, while others let the kids know exactly what would happen to them if and when they ever entered the prison system. The prisoners were literally in their faces, trying to get their respective points across. Afterwards, when the kids left, they were interviewed again, and their demeanor had visibly changed. No longer were they full of themselves, but very humbled and seemingly very frightened at the prospect of ever having to end up in a place like that.

Also included is the follow up documentary, Scared Straight: 20 Years Later, hosted by Danny Glover. The filmmakers attempt to follow up with the kids and prisoners, allowing us to see where they are now. Amazingly, 16 out of the 17 children in the pilot program managed to turn their lives around and, for the most part, stay out of trouble. Many are productive members of society, and have children of their own. Also shown is the impact on the prisoners who participated in the program. It's funny how this program, created and run by convicts to aid troubled youths also ended up helping the convicts, as a number of them seem to have seen the error of their ways and were working on rebuilding their lives.

All these years later, the program is still running, and it's estimated that about 80% of the children who participate manage to turn their lives around, and stay out of prison. Quite a success rate.

The impact of viewing this on video opposed to being there in person, having a convict yell at you inches away from your face, probably isn't as strong, but I think the message is, and many younger and older people would get a lot of of watching this movie.

Summary of Scared Straight!

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