Movies - Scared Straight!

Home > Listing Index > Movies > Scared Straight!

	Movies - Scared Straight!

Scared Straight! was a documentary directed by Arnold Shapiro and released in 1978.

The subject of the documentary was a group of cocky teenaged juvenile delinquents and the attempts to make them end their criminal ways by introducing them to actual convicts. In the movie, a group of jailed criminals known as the "Lifers" berate, scream at, and terrify the young hoodlums, and attempt to "scare them straight" (hence the film's title) by showing an ugly, harsh presentation of the realities of prison life. At film's end, the teenagers decide that they don't want to end up in jail. The movie's narration was provided by Peter Falk.

The film was followed by Scared Straight! Another Story (1980), Scared Straight! 10 Years Later (1987), and (on MTV) Scared Straight! 20 Years Later (1999). The last sequel, hosted by Danny Glover, showed that the majority of the teens in the original program were, in fact, "scared straight" and went on to lead happy, productive lives.

The documentary was shown on television in the late '70s. It was aired uncensored, and marked the first time that the word "fuck" was broadcast on many networks.

The film won the Academy Award for Documentary Feature in 1978. It also won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement–Informational Program and Outstanding Informational Program.

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.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Scared Straight! ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Scared Straight!; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay