Beyond Scared Straight

[GuitarToneFreak]

Any fans of the show here? It's probably one of my favorite shows on TV, I try to catch it whenever it's on.

If you've never heard of it - the show gives at-risk teens a chance to see what life beyond bars is really like. The whole nine yards, they've even kept some kids overnight because they felt like they didn't get it.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JTFUUvJFTo]Beyond Scared Straight: Wanna Be Grown - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0nhqNbw6_g&feature=relmfu]Beyond Scared Straight: Attitude - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpJ_tpxyPCI&feature=relmfu]Beyond Scared Straight: Let Him In - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2xgEaRzrBw&feature=relmfu]Beyond Scared Straight: Ready To Swing - YouTube[/ame]

There's a few full episodes kicking around YouTube, but not too many - it seems to air on TV quite a bit, though, so check it out when you can.

 

[GuitarToneFreak]

One more clip, 13 year old takes a swing at a guard.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmYMEwVeRjQ]13 Year Old Gangsta White Girl Hits Officer & Is Arrested - YouTube[/ame]

 

[blues_man_zep]

Love the show

 

[thexmadxtopxhatter]

Awesome show. This vid shows what happened to the kids 20 years later.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-XgvYgnyHo]Scared Straight: 20 Years Later - PART 10 (FINAL) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[LPSGME]

The other point is: why are our prisons such hell holes, thereby breeding even more hatred and violence?

It's hardly the mark of an intelligent society.

 

[jwk0522]

I love that show!

 

[jwk0522]

The other point is: why are our prisons such hell holes, thereby breeding even more hatred and violence?

It's hardly the mark of an intelligent society.

Or you could also look at it as being a deterrent for going there. You wouldn't want it to be a place that criminals wouldn't mind going.

 

[Gin&Pentatonic]

I've tried watching it. Just a bunch of screaming and yelling at stupid kids. I get that they're trying to "scare" them straight but sometimes it's so over-the-top its actually comical what the prisoners say and do. And any time there's cameras involved, you can count on there being quite a bit of scripting and exaggeration.

 

[geochem1st]

When my oldest daughter was in high school, her entire senior class was required to go to the county lockup and talk to prisoners... whether the students were at risk or not. There was no yelling going on like that show, but sincere discussions, that has left a long lasting mark. She is now 26 and she says that it was one of the top 5 experiences in her life. Made a huge impression.

 

[Gin&Pentatonic]

When my oldest daughter was in high school, her entire senior class was required to go to the county lockup and talk to prisoners... whether the students were at risk or not. There was no yelling going on like that show, but sincere discussions, that has left a long lasting mark. She is now 26 and she says that it was one of the top 5 experiences in her life. Made a huge impression.

I guess we're all different but having a prisoner calmly and honestly describe the horror that is prison life would have the same effect as some nutcases yelling obscenities at me. But that just wouldn't make for exciting television. The more crazy and over-the-top, the better.

 

[Guitarhack]

The other point is: why are our prisons such hell holes, thereby breeding even more hatred and violence?

It's hardly the mark of an intelligent society.

I wouldn't call American prisons a hell hole. But I wouldn't want to live my life living in one.

This is an age old question as to what the goal of incarceration is and how to accomplish it. Is it strictly punishment or should there be an attempt to rehabilitate the individual? How much is the society willing to spend on rehabilitating the person? Therapy, education, and training are not cheap. I can tell you that a great many of those I've been around are not your average person who has just made one bad mistake. Fixing these types of sociopaths and psycopaths is not an over night venture, and there are a great many that are unfixable. Some don't want to be fixed.

As far as the aggression and violence in prisons, that stuff is inmate generated. The politics and power plays are all driven by the inmates. The flashing you see some of those inmates do and express towards those kids does go on inside, but it usually precedes a fight. Some of them are like animals, they stake out their territory and use aggression and violence to protect and enforce.

As far as the scared straight program. If it helps any kids its a good thing. Some of those kids need that because they are done listening to people trying to rationaly reason with them. What they should also do is take them around the prison to see what the inmates that have been down for a long time look like. The sickness (HIV, Hep C, Staph infections) and just being tired and worn out (alot of these were at one time the toughest and hardest criminals around). There's an inmate that I deal with who has been down since 1965. Think of all that he has missed while incarcerated.

 

[GuitarToneFreak]

Well, in most cases the prisoners do sit down one on one with the kids and have an actual, calm discussion with them. It's not all yelling at them and making them do stuff - they actually get on their level and talk to them instead of at them.

It's a nice balance, and one that seems to help most of the kids based off of the episodes I've seen.

 

[LPSGME]

A lot of crime can probably be attributed to the ills of our social systems and our laws themselves. If so, that is also where the pre-emptive fix should be made.

 

[LPSGME]

Well, in most cases the prisoners do sit down one on one with the kids and have an actual, calm discussion with them. It's not all yelling at them and making them do stuff - they actually get on their level and talk to them instead of at them.

It's a nice balance, and one that seems to help most of the kids based off of the episodes I've seen.

I know someone, imprisoned as a child, who has done that with great effect. Kids seems to really understand, and feel a connection, when the advice comes from someone they can relate to.

 

[Kamen_Kaiju]

Prisons are the new slave labor.

There's a lot of people there that don't belong there, and there's a lot of people getting rich off of sending people there.

America has the highest rate of incarcerated citizens.

It's about time people start asking themselves, "why?"



...it's not what you think. It's much more insidious then, "only bad people go to jail."

 

[James Carney]

This is an age old question as to what the goal of incarceration is and how to accomplish it. Is it strictly punishment or should there be an attempt to rehabilitate the individual? How much is the society willing to spend on rehabilitating the person? Therapy, education, and training are not cheap. I can tell you that a great many of those I've been around are not your average person who has just made one bad mistake. Fixing these types of sociopaths and psycopaths is not an over night venture, and there are a great many that are unfixable. Some don't want to be fixed.

 

[JonMan94]

Reality TV is the bottom-feeder sh-t in my opinion. I got other things to worry about than someone's teen being thrown into simulation jail or some mother with like a million children.

That is why I don't watch TV very often, and when I do, it's shows like No Reseverations, Iron Chef, Myth-busters, Old School Cartoons, Modern Marvels, etc... I was never into the other stuff on TV.

 

[Guitarhack]

Prisons are the new slave labor.

There's a lot of people there that don't belong there, and there's a lot of people getting rich off of sending people there.

America has the highest rate of incarcerated citizens.

It's about time people start asking themselves, "why?"



...it's not what you think. It's much more insidious then, "only bad people go to jail."

From what I've experienced, I'm talking about having encountered several thousand inmates over the years, most of them earned their time in prison, suprisingly very few proclaimed innocence. There were a few who many would feel should be let go, but not many (usually the guys who were intoxicated and got into a fist fight and the other guy ended up in bad shape). Some get caught on parole violations but honestly, there are no secrets regarding parole. You know what is expected of you and what you need to do, so if you get violated I really don't have much sympathy.

If you spend any time around inmates you would not want them living in your neighborhood.

 

[Kamen_Kaiju]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-w-whitehead/prison-privatization_b_1414467.html

http://www.alternet.org/story/47815/pot_prisoners_cost_americans_$1_billion_a_year


Penn Rages: 1 In 6 In Prison For Marijuana; Let The Marijuana People Go! | Prometheus Unbound

Not everyone in jail belongs in jail.

 

[geochem1st]

.....

If you spend any time around inmates you would not want them living in your neighborhood.

I'm offended

You wouldn't want me in your neighborhood?