Scared Straight!
Encyclopedia
Scared Straight! is a 1978 documentary directed by Arnold Shapiro
. Narrated by Peter Falk
, the subject of the documentary is a group of juvenile delinquents and their three-hour session with actual convicts. Filmed at Rahway State Prison
, a group of inmates known as the "lifers" berate, scream at, and terrify the young offenders in an attempt to "scare them straight" (hence the film's title) so that those teenagers will avoid prison
life.
The documentary aired on television in the late 1970s, uncensored; it marked the first time that the words "fuck
" and "shit
" were broadcast on many networks. The cast includes a drug dealer and counterfeit document manufacturer from Westchester County (Mikie C), a gang member from Jersey City (Jerome Watts), an arsonist and bomb builder from Bridgeport
(Jon Shipiro), the son of a Mafia informant (Carlo Gallo), and a 17-year-old chop shop
parts dealer and car thief from the Bronx (Jesus Rodriguez). At film's end, the teenagers say that they have decided that they don't want to end up in jail. The film ends with a "roll call" of the teens, revealing that most were "scared straight", though a few were said to have reoffended.
s for Outstanding Individual Achievement–Informational Program and Outstanding Informational Program.
, counterfeiting, and racketeering
. None of the individuals in the original documentary were ever convicted of a felony, except for Angelo Speziale, who was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for the rape and murder of his neighbor, Michele Mika. Most were from the tri-state (Connecticut
, New Jersey
and New York
) area and agreed to accept the experiment in lieu of jail time and/or probation
/public service. The producers asked for a range of youth that came from poor inner-city neighborhoods to the affluent suburbs of New York City. The recidivism
rate of the original two casts was less than 10%.
ed meta-analysis
report of seven such programs by Anthony Petrosino et al. (2002, updated 2003), which indicated that "scared straight" programs not only failed to deter crime, but actually led to more offending behavior.
and UPN
) Scared Straight! 20 Years Later (1999).
On January 13, 2011, A&E
introduced the new series Beyond Scared Straight, executive produced by Arnold Shapiro. According to the A&E website profile for the series: "Each one-hour episode focuses on a different inmate-run program in the U.S., and follows four or five at-risk teens before they attend the program, throughout their day inside the prison, immediately afterwards, and then follows up with them one month later to see the lasting impact of the experience on their lives. Beyond Scared Straight is about transforming the lives of young people through intervention and second chances."
On February 1, 2011, the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange reported that one of the graduates of the original Scared Straight! was now a convicted felon. As a scrawny 16-year-old, Angelo Speziale appeared in the original Scared Straight! documentary filmed at New Jersey’s
Rahway State Prison
in 1978. Now he’s back–serving 25-to-life in Rahway for the 1982 rape
and murder
of a teenage girl who lived next door to him. Proponents of Scared Straight! claim the program literally scares kids away from a life of crime. In a follow-up show called Scared Straight: 20 Years Later, Speziale echoed this, claiming the experience changed him. He was later arrested for shoplifting
in 2005 and a DNA
sample linked him to the 30-year-old cold case murder for which he was convicted in 2010. A New Jersey law enforcement source confirms Angelo Speziale is the same person who appeared in both documentaries.
On August 18, 2011, A&E
premiered the first episode of the second season of Beyond Scared Straight, once again in the midst of controversy. Joe Vignati, director of Justice Programs at Governor's Office For Children and Families in Georgia, writes at the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange: "After becoming the highest rated program in the history of the Disney-owned A&E network, a new season of this 'reality' show returns to titillate the curious and misinformed...The scared straight approach is an inappropriate and unacceptable means for disciplining children. This approach has been shown to cause short- and long- term harm and actually increases the likelihood of re-offending among some participants."
officials have written an op-ed
piece describing scared straight programs as “not only ineffective but potentially harmful” to the kids involved. The op-ed appears in the February 1st edition of Baltimore Sun, written by OJJDP Acting Administrator Jeff Slowikowski and Laurie O. Robinson, from the Office of Justice Programs. They say that, "when it comes to our children", policymakers and parents should “follow evidence, not anecdote.”
Each episode ends with updates of the teen participants, citing both successes and some failures in their post-prison behavior.
". Steve Carell
, playing office manager Michael Scott
, performs as a character of his creation, named Prison Mike, who acts out a toned-down version of the type of speech given in the original Scared Straight.
On Mad TV
, Will Sasso
& Aries Spears
play as 2 Convicts in a program called "Scared Straight Anywhere" in which they are literally used to Scare People straight anywhere such as shown in the Skit a Business Meeting, Boy Scout Meeting & Hollywood.
On Saturday Night Live
, Kenan Thompson
's character Lorenzo McIntosh is hired by a jail in their "Scared Straight" program. McIntosh tries to scare the juvenile delinquents by using movie references such as being arrested because he tried to hide an alien trying to phone home from the government.
On an episode of Married with Children, Al Bundy
told his family a story about a group of troubled high school students who were bussed to his shoe store and forced to watch his daily activities as part of the "Scared Rich!" program. Al added that it wasn't long before the most "hardened punk" was on his knees sobbing.
In episode 2 of Freaks and Geeks
, after Bill doubts Neil's claim that someone who doesn't pay attention in high school will have a poor future and end up "dead or in jail", Neil asks him if he was asleep during "Scared Straight!".
In episode 42 of Beavis & Butt-Head, "Scared Straight", Principal McVicker restarts a Scared Straight program, and the duo find themselves having fun in prison. They befriend two prisoners, who are Iron Maiden
fans, and play air guitar with them.
In the episode, "Long Drive" of Malcolm in the Middle
, a day in jail tests a defiant Reese who faces a Scared Straight encounter.
The Boondocks
television series used the documentary in the episode "A Date with the Booty Warrior" to remake it into an episode where Riley and Huey participate in a Scared Straight program at a local jail. Some lines and examples were even taken from the documentary and used in the episode.
Arnold Shapiro
Arnold Shapiro is an Academy Award and 16-time Emmy Award-winning television producer and writer.His best known work is the 1978 Oscar and Emmy-winning documentary, Scared Straight! His other productions include the CBS reality series, Rescue 911, hosted by William Shatner and the CBS reality...
. Narrated by Peter Falk
Peter Falk
Peter Michael Falk was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo...
, the subject of the documentary is a group of juvenile delinquents and their three-hour session with actual convicts. Filmed at Rahway State Prison
Rahway State Prison
East Jersey State Prison , originally Rahway State Prison, was established in 1896 as the first reformatory in New Jersey. It is a maximum-security institution operated by the New Jersey Department of Corrections, housing approximately 1,900 men .The prison is actually located in Avenel in...
, a group of inmates known as the "lifers" berate, scream at, and terrify the young offenders in an attempt to "scare them straight" (hence the film's title) so that those teenagers will avoid prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
life.
The documentary aired on television in the late 1970s, uncensored; it marked the first time that the words "fuck
Fuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
" and "shit
Shit
Shit is usually considered vulgar and profane in Modern English. As a noun it refers to fecal matter and as a verb it means to defecate or defecate in; in the plural it means diarrhea...
" were broadcast on many networks. The cast includes a drug dealer and counterfeit document manufacturer from Westchester County (Mikie C), a gang member from Jersey City (Jerome Watts), an arsonist and bomb builder from Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
(Jon Shipiro), the son of a Mafia informant (Carlo Gallo), and a 17-year-old chop shop
Chop shop
In motor vehicle theft, a chop shop is a location or business which disassembles stolen automobiles for the purpose of selling them as parts. It may also be used to refer to a location or business that is involved with the selling of stolen or fraudulent goods in general, an example of the latter...
parts dealer and car thief from the Bronx (Jesus Rodriguez). At film's end, the teenagers say that they have decided that they don't want to end up in jail. The film ends with a "roll call" of the teens, revealing that most were "scared straight", though a few were said to have reoffended.
Awards
The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1978. It also won Emmy AwardEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s for Outstanding Individual Achievement–Informational Program and Outstanding Informational Program.
Overview
Teenagers in this documentary and the 1980 sequel, Scared Straight! Another Story, ranged from 15- to 19-year-old repeat offenders of crimes ranging from petty theft and public intoxication to gamblingGambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, counterfeiting, and racketeering
. None of the individuals in the original documentary were ever convicted of a felony, except for Angelo Speziale, who was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for the rape and murder of his neighbor, Michele Mika. Most were from the tri-state (Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) area and agreed to accept the experiment in lieu of jail time and/or probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
/public service. The producers asked for a range of youth that came from poor inner-city neighborhoods to the affluent suburbs of New York City. The recidivism
Recidivism
Recidivism is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have either experienced negative consequences of that behavior, or have been treated or trained to extinguish that behavior...
rate of the original two casts was less than 10%.
Reception
As a result of the film, many states introduced "scared straight" programs in an attempt to rehabilitate young delinquents. The effectiveness of such programs has been questioned, most significantly by a peer reviewPeer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
ed meta-analysis
Meta-analysis
In statistics, a meta-analysis combines the results of several studies that address a set of related research hypotheses. In its simplest form, this is normally by identification of a common measure of effect size, for which a weighted average might be the output of a meta-analyses. Here the...
report of seven such programs by Anthony Petrosino et al. (2002, updated 2003), which indicated that "scared straight" programs not only failed to deter crime, but actually led to more offending behavior.
Follow-ups
The original Scared Straight! was followed by Scared Straight! Another Story (1980), Scared Straight! 10 Years Later (1987), and (on MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
) Scared Straight! 20 Years Later (1999).
On January 13, 2011, A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
introduced the new series Beyond Scared Straight, executive produced by Arnold Shapiro. According to the A&E website profile for the series: "Each one-hour episode focuses on a different inmate-run program in the U.S., and follows four or five at-risk teens before they attend the program, throughout their day inside the prison, immediately afterwards, and then follows up with them one month later to see the lasting impact of the experience on their lives. Beyond Scared Straight is about transforming the lives of young people through intervention and second chances."
On February 1, 2011, the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange reported that one of the graduates of the original Scared Straight! was now a convicted felon. As a scrawny 16-year-old, Angelo Speziale appeared in the original Scared Straight! documentary filmed at New Jersey’s
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
Rahway State Prison
Rahway State Prison
East Jersey State Prison , originally Rahway State Prison, was established in 1896 as the first reformatory in New Jersey. It is a maximum-security institution operated by the New Jersey Department of Corrections, housing approximately 1,900 men .The prison is actually located in Avenel in...
in 1978. Now he’s back–serving 25-to-life in Rahway for the 1982 rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of a teenage girl who lived next door to him. Proponents of Scared Straight! claim the program literally scares kids away from a life of crime. In a follow-up show called Scared Straight: 20 Years Later, Speziale echoed this, claiming the experience changed him. He was later arrested for shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
in 2005 and a DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
sample linked him to the 30-year-old cold case murder for which he was convicted in 2010. A New Jersey law enforcement source confirms Angelo Speziale is the same person who appeared in both documentaries.
On August 18, 2011, A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
premiered the first episode of the second season of Beyond Scared Straight, once again in the midst of controversy. Joe Vignati, director of Justice Programs at Governor's Office For Children and Families in Georgia, writes at the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange: "After becoming the highest rated program in the history of the Disney-owned A&E network, a new season of this 'reality' show returns to titillate the curious and misinformed...The scared straight approach is an inappropriate and unacceptable means for disciplining children. This approach has been shown to cause short- and long- term harm and actually increases the likelihood of re-offending among some participants."
Criticism
Two Justice DepartmentUnited States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
officials have written an op-ed
Op-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
piece describing scared straight programs as “not only ineffective but potentially harmful” to the kids involved. The op-ed appears in the February 1st edition of Baltimore Sun, written by OJJDP Acting Administrator Jeff Slowikowski and Laurie O. Robinson, from the Office of Justice Programs. They say that, "when it comes to our children", policymakers and parents should “follow evidence, not anecdote.”
Each episode ends with updates of the teen participants, citing both successes and some failures in their post-prison behavior.
In popular culture
A brief parody of Scared Straight was included in the television series The Office in the 2006 episode entitled "The ConvictThe Convict
"The Convict" is ninth episode of the third season of The Office . It aired on November 30, 2006 on NBC. It was written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant specifically for the U.S. series...
". Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, playing office manager Michael Scott
Michael Scott (The Office)
Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
, performs as a character of his creation, named Prison Mike, who acts out a toned-down version of the type of speech given in the original Scared Straight.
On Mad TV
Mad TV
Mad TV may refer to:*MADtv, an American sketch comedy television series based on Mad magazine*Mad TV , a 1991 German television station management simulation game*MAD TV , a Greek music channel-See also:...
, Will Sasso
Will Sasso
William "Will" Sasso is a Canadian comedian and actor. He is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on the American sketch comedy series MADtv, spending five seasons on the show.-Early life:...
& Aries Spears
Aries Spears
Aries Spears is an American actor and comedian. Spears is best known as one of the actors on Fox's sketch comedy series MADtv, in which he was in 198 episodes, making him the second longest-serving original cast member on the show....
play as 2 Convicts in a program called "Scared Straight Anywhere" in which they are literally used to Scare People straight anywhere such as shown in the Skit a Business Meeting, Boy Scout Meeting & Hollywood.
On Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, Kenan Thompson
Kenan Thompson
Kenan Thompson is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work as a cast member of NBC's long-running sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live...
's character Lorenzo McIntosh is hired by a jail in their "Scared Straight" program. McIntosh tries to scare the juvenile delinquents by using movie references such as being arrested because he tried to hide an alien trying to phone home from the government.
On an episode of Married with Children, Al Bundy
Al Bundy
Al Bundy is a fictional character from the U.S. television series Married... with Children. He was played by Ed O'Neill.-Character history:...
told his family a story about a group of troubled high school students who were bussed to his shoe store and forced to watch his daily activities as part of the "Scared Rich!" program. Al added that it wasn't long before the most "hardened punk" was on his knees sobbing.
In episode 2 of Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks is an American teen comedy-drama television series, created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season...
, after Bill doubts Neil's claim that someone who doesn't pay attention in high school will have a poor future and end up "dead or in jail", Neil asks him if he was asleep during "Scared Straight!".
In episode 42 of Beavis & Butt-Head, "Scared Straight", Principal McVicker restarts a Scared Straight program, and the duo find themselves having fun in prison. They befriend two prisoners, who are Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
fans, and play air guitar with them.
In the episode, "Long Drive" of Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...
, a day in jail tests a defiant Reese who faces a Scared Straight encounter.
The Boondocks
The Boondocks (TV series)
The Boondocks is an American animated series created by Aaron McGruder on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, based on McGruder's comic strip of the same name...
television series used the documentary in the episode "A Date with the Booty Warrior" to remake it into an episode where Riley and Huey participate in a Scared Straight program at a local jail. Some lines and examples were even taken from the documentary and used in the episode.