NCJ Number
183344
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 46 Issue: 3 Dated: July 2000 Pages: 354-379
Date Published
July 2000
Length
26 pages
Annotation
Using preliminary results from a systematic review of nine randomized experiments of the Scared Straight prison visitation programs, this article shows that a popular and well-meaning program can have harmful effects; results are used to argue for more rigorous evaluations to test criminal justice interventions.
Abstract
In the 1970's, a group of inmates serving life sentences at a New Jersey prison conducted the Juvenile Awareness Program to deter at-risk or delinquent children from a future life of crime. The program, known as Scared Straight, brought youths to Rahway State Prison to participate in a realistic and confrontational "rap" session run by prisoners serving life sentences. As the inmates led the rap sessions, they graphically depicted prison life, including stories of rape and murder. The intention was that youths would be so frightened by the prospect of spending time in prison that they would avoid delinquent behavior. Although rigorous evaluation is often resisted, the agencies and institutions that facilitated the Scared Straight experiments described in this article should be credited for subjecting these programs to nine randomized experiments. On the other hand, only nine experiments were conducted over the 33-year history of a widely disseminated and internationally implemented program. Some may interpret this as even more discouraging evidence that rigorous evaluations are rare and the use of results from sound research rarer still. The findings from the nine experiments indicate that despite Scared Straight's good intentions, there is little evidence to suggest that the program deters subsequent juvenile crime and delinquency. In fact, the evidence strongly suggests that it leads to more crime by program participants. Given the possibility of harmful effects of interventions, government has an ethical responsibility to rigorously evaluate, on a continuing basis, the policies, practices, and programs it implements. Appended tables, 6 notes, and 57 references