Beyond Scared Straight

Beyond Scared Straight is an outstanding show in which troubled teens are sent to jails around the country to see what its going to be like should they find themselves on the inside. Scare tactics are often used, but the effectiveness, while positive on most, falls far short for others. Frankly, I would love to see this program extended in such a manner that these kids REALLY get a taste of jail life. I think by picking these kids up in front of their friends by the local Sheriff's Departments upon exit from school on a Friday afternoon and dropping them back off to school on the following Monday morning just before the start of classes would be far more effective then giving them a half day experience going from one section of the jail to another. Today's kids are some of the most disrespectful ever, and with parents working longer and longer hours while trying to make a living like never before, many of these at risk kids are failing to receive the attention they need during the riskiest time of their lives. Today's kids roll their eyes, look the other way, bad mouth their parents and teachers like never before. They truly need a rude awakening. I think this can only be done in the most severe cases by letting them spend a full weekend in jail, where they should be treated as close to an inmate as possible while protecting them from injury.

This is nothing short of abuse. You think you can deter children from crime by treating them the same way that their environment has, with abuse, by screaming at them, by tearing them down, by scaring them, bullying them, etc, etc, which is the reason they believe in the first place that either you're the bully or you're the victim. They're not being shown there's another reality where you can thrive, feel loved, validated, understood, where you can have experiences of success and achievement. This is just more of "you're fundamentally bad, even so bad you're not even welcome in jail". I can't believe it's legal, but then again, it IS the United States.. This would not be acceptable in Scandinavia. Poor fricking kids. They'll get older, get better at being the "top dog" and they'll end up in jail, becoming the ones who scream at kids.

In scared straight, you will see a compilation of insulting, volgure, and quite frankly embarrassing behavior from "respectable officers", showing just how corrupt the police system is. If a normal person behaved this way to 10-16 year olds they would be locked away for years for disorderly conduct, verbal assault to a child, and assault to a minor. This shows real name should be "above the law, and can't be tamed." They use homosexual prisoners to tell the children how they should get in there cells and in addition threaten them sexually and the officers threaten to put them in calling them "fresh meat" and how they "like little boys". They give children who are in need of phsychiatric help a chance to be racist, homophobic, and have ptsd and an extreme fear of officers. They yell at there mom or act aggressive to anyone and they get to get scarred for life but yet people say it's not hard enough, let's just start beating them too. It's a viscouse cycle of aggression and fear with the people/children and police officers and government officials. This show will show you just how above the law you are if you're a cop.

I see a lot of people complaining about how it's horrible to the kids, the kids are horrible anyway, some even after they go in. I know they're young but some of the stuff they do is terrible.

I absolutely loved this show, it was nice to watch a couple of episodes whilst laying in bed falling asleep and finishing what I missed in the morning.

I'm only up to season 4 but I'll watch the rest eventually.

The criminals stories are interesting too, how it started out so small but turned into something life changing.

Hopefully this goes on for a LONG TIME!

This show is a blatant excuse for a prison documentary. Of course, I get the idea that people have done things so awfully wrong, but going to jail for it is just crossing several lines.

People have become depressed, just because of this show. I'm one of the lucky few. It makes people more insecure about what they're doing and they're always going to say that they're going to get beaten and called names when they do the littlest thing wrong.

Policemen always see children and teenagers as adults in this show. Homosexuality and abuse is the result of it. It just makes me want to have a loaded gun next to the active television, and just shoot an officer.

Is there anything more I need to say about this aggravating and introverted show?