NCJ Number
70545
Journal
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Volume: 347 Dated: (June 20, 1980) Pages: 213-217
Date Published
1980
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article examines the panacea phenomenon, one of the causes and effects of the failures and frustrations in dealing with juvenile crime, explains some of the reasons for this frustration, and discusses the 'Scared Straight' program as a classic case in point.
Abstract
Efforts to prevent and control juvenile delinquency over the past two decades might be described as a search for a panacea, a simple solution for a highly complex problem. Legislation and programs or projects of various kinds are posed as cure-alls; they fail to live up to expectations which are frequently unrealistic; frustration sets in; and the search for the next panacea begins anew. One of the most recent answers to the juvenile delinquency problem seems to be to have prison inmates (lifers) scare delinquents or suspected delinquents 'straight.' 'Scared Straight' is the name given the Juvenile Awareness Project at New Jersey's Rahway State Prison. This label comes from the title of an Oscar award-winning film about the project. The film points out that some 8,000 juveniles had visited Rahway and that 80 percent of them had been 'scared straight.' In the time since the first showing, there has been an effort in some 38 States and foreign countries to create, mandate, and legislate similar programs in everything from local jails to State prisons. The great success claims made for the project by sponsors, supporters, and the lifers themselves are, however, unfounded. More than half of the juveniles attending have no record of delinquency, some data are collected by letters sent to parents/guardians and sponsors within a short time after the juveniles visit; and recidivism is neither defined nor uniform for all those reporting. Results from a 16-month evaluation of the project, the only controlled study to date, show a success rate of 59 percent for an experimental group of 46 juveniles; the control group of 35 youth showed a success rate of 89 percent. Moreover, the experimental group committed more serious offenses than did those in the control group. It is concluded that the film has misrepresented the lifers' Juvenile Awareness Project by overemphasizing the scare tactics and by giving little or no attention to other aspects of the program. The result could be the brutalizing, terrorizing, and traumatizing of youngsters. The film 'Scared Straight' has misled the public and some officials into thinking it is a miracle cure for juvenile crime and delinquency. Five references are appended.