Odalys Baby Garcia
September 18, 2015
CRIJ 3304
Scared Straight
Juveniles do not know firsthand experience of what it’s like to be in a real prison; they think they do but in reality they do not. In the documentary entitled Scared Straight directed by Arnold Shapiro is a program developed to scare juveniles straight instead of having them live a life of crime. The program takes place at Rahway State Prison, NJ where they have inmates—called Lifers—of different criminal records terrorize seventeen juvenile deliquesces into going straight.
The program is based on a Pre-Experimental design because there is no comparison group but rather only one group is being looked at before and after the X variable is present. According to the author, she believes …show more content…
Some pros that the program has are that according to the Scared Straight documentary, it showed a 94% success rate and because of that a few more programs were created in other jurisdictions. In addition to that the inmates get to counsel these youths through group discussions and use one-on-one interactions and as well as being these juveniles mentors and having them attempt to deter these youths from a life of crime which will help reduce dropout rates and increase school attendance rates. Another pro is that the juveniles’ sentencing is no longer than one day for each teen and the fact that the public likes that the blame and responsibility is put on the trouble teen instead of the family or environment. In return the inmates who volunteer to be in the program feel useful which can help improve their self-esteem and self-concept as well. Just as anything that has pros it also comes with cons. Some cons about the Scared Straight Program are that those who went through the program have a higher recidivism rate than those who did not go through the program. Also delinquent youths who feel alienated may see prison as a place they will fit in, and there is a chance that the delinquent teens may turn to idolize the “Lifers”. Another bad thing about the program might be that the intimidation tactics may actually encourage the teens to prove themselves to others that they are in fact tougher and harder to Scared Straight. One important thing that may occur that a lot of people may agree with is damaging the youth emotionally and
September 18, 2015
CRIJ 3304
Scared Straight
Juveniles do not know firsthand experience of what it’s like to be in a real prison; they think they do but in reality they do not. In the documentary entitled Scared Straight directed by Arnold Shapiro is a program developed to scare juveniles straight instead of having them live a life of crime. The program takes place at Rahway State Prison, NJ where they have inmates—called Lifers—of different criminal records terrorize seventeen juvenile deliquesces into going straight.
The program is based on a Pre-Experimental design because there is no comparison group but rather only one group is being looked at before and after the X variable is present. According to the author, she believes …show more content…
Some pros that the program has are that according to the Scared Straight documentary, it showed a 94% success rate and because of that a few more programs were created in other jurisdictions. In addition to that the inmates get to counsel these youths through group discussions and use one-on-one interactions and as well as being these juveniles mentors and having them attempt to deter these youths from a life of crime which will help reduce dropout rates and increase school attendance rates. Another pro is that the juveniles’ sentencing is no longer than one day for each teen and the fact that the public likes that the blame and responsibility is put on the trouble teen instead of the family or environment. In return the inmates who volunteer to be in the program feel useful which can help improve their self-esteem and self-concept as well. Just as anything that has pros it also comes with cons. Some cons about the Scared Straight Program are that those who went through the program have a higher recidivism rate than those who did not go through the program. Also delinquent youths who feel alienated may see prison as a place they will fit in, and there is a chance that the delinquent teens may turn to idolize the “Lifers”. Another bad thing about the program might be that the intimidation tactics may actually encourage the teens to prove themselves to others that they are in fact tougher and harder to Scared Straight. One important thing that may occur that a lot of people may agree with is damaging the youth emotionally and