Beyond Scared Straight
Beyond Scared Straight is a reality television series that aired on A&E from 2011 to 2015. The series follows troubled teenagers who spend one to three days in prison or jail to learn from the inmates about the realities of being incarcerated.[1] The series was inspired by the 1978 American documentary Scared Straight!.
| Beyond Scared Straight | |
|---|---|
| Inspired by | Scared Straight! |
| No. of seasons | 9 |
| No. of episodes | 83 |
| Release | |
| Original network | A&E |
| Original release | January 13, 2011 – September 3, 2015 |
| Related | |
| Scared Straight! | |
In June 2015, the network announced the series will end after season 9 which concluded September 3, 2015.[2]
Summary
Based on the 1978 American documentary Scared Straight!, this series highlights juvenile crime prevention programs in prisons and jails throughout the United States. Each hour-long episode focuses on several at-risk teenagers. Throughout the series, these teens face intense confrontations from both law enforcement and inmates.
Each episode starts with individual interviews, where the teens discuss the reasons behind their habitual misconduct. Following this, they undergo the booking process, which includes removing jewelry, belts, hats, sunglasses, and other personal items. In certain episodes, the teens are required to wear prison jumpsuits.
They then experience life inside prison: visiting cell blocks, interacting with inmates, and eating prison meals. They also hear firsthand stories from inmates about their journeys to incarceration. An emotional segment lets the teens communicate with their parents via the prison visitor telephone system.
The episode concludes with a one-month follow-up, providing viewers with updates on the teens' paths. Some have managed to turn their lives around, while others remain on a troubled course.
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 7 | January 13, 2011 | March 3, 2011 | |
| 2 | 12 | August 18, 2011 | January 19, 2012 | |
| 3 | 17 | August 20, 2012 | February 7, 2013 | |
| 4 | 9 | May 30, 2013 | August 1, 2013 | |
| 5 | 8 | October 3, 2013 | November 21, 2013 | |
| 6 | 8 | February 28, 2014 | April 24, 2014 | |
| 7 | 6 | June 26, 2014 | July 31, 2014 | |
| 8 | 5 | December 4, 2014 | December 18, 2014 | |
| 9 | 11 | June 25, 2015 | September 3, 2015 | |
Season 1 (2011)
| No. | Title | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Chowchilla" | January 13, 2011 | TBA |
| At the Valley State Prison, the inmates teach five teens who are getting in trouble a lot life behind bars. The teens get a second chance to keep from being the next convicts.[3] | |||
| 2 | "Jessup" | January 20, 2011 | TBA |
| At the Maryland Correctional Institution, inmates including convicted murderers teaches these five teens including one who likes the outlaw life the tough reality behind bars. They learn about how strip search works. | |||
| 3 | "Corcoran" | January 27, 2011 | TBA |
| At the California prison which is home to Charles Manson, the teens learn life in the prison yard and the dangers of it. | |||
| 4 | "Leiber" | February 3, 2011 | TBA |
| Six teens visit the Lieber Correctional Facility in South Carolina | |||
| 5 | "San Quentin" | February 10, 2011 | TBA |
| Viewers goes inside one of the nation’s most infamous prisons. They even stand outside the death row area. | |||
| 6 | "Hangerstown" | February 24, 2011 | TBA |
| At a Maryland prison, the inmates give the teens a taste of reality in prison by showing them the “Lock-up Loaf,” a brick of baked mush served to unruly prisoners. | |||
| 7 | "Jessup Women's Prison" | March 3, 2011 | TBA |
| At the Maryland Correctional Institution, these girls who are at risk for being convicts learn the tough life of prison. | |||
Season 2 (2011–12)
{{Episode list
| No. | Title | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ""Mecklenburg County, NC"" | August 18, 2011 | TBA |
| At the Mecklenburg County Jail, troublesome teens meet frightening deputies and inmates. One of the teens go head-to-head with a female deputy. | |||
| 2 | ""Oakland County, MI"" | August 25, 2011 | TBA |
| A jail near Detroit offer a rehabilitation program for teens. They walk through crowded and noisy cellblocks full of wild inmates and have their parents tour the facility with the teens. | |||
| 3 | ""Portsmouth County, VA"" | September 1, 2011 | TBA |
| Violent teenagers visit a County Jail in Virginia. One of the teenagers is brought back for a extra day. | |||
| 4 | ""Oklahoma County, OK"" | September 8, 2011 | TBA |
| Five teens including two sets of sisters experience a Scared Straight program in Oklahoma City | |||
| 5 | "San Bernardino County, CA - Boys" | September 15, 2011 | TBA |
| A group of at-risk boys go to a California Jail. They even visit the county morgue. | |||
| 6 | "Richland County, SC" | December 8, 2011 | TBA |
| Young troublemakers experience a terrifying all-night stay program in South Carolina | |||
| 7 | "St. Clair County, IL" | December 15, 2011 | TBA |
| Teenagers go into a jail outside of East St. Louis where they are mobbed by a cell block and visit a Suicide Cell | |||
| 8 | "San Bernardino County, CA - Girls" | December 22, 2011 | TBA |
| Females teens from Los Angeles meet female inmates. | |||
| 9 | "Western Tidewater Regional Jail, VA" | December 29, 2011 | TBA |
| At-risk siblings visit the jail and sees the deadly realities of behind bars. | |||
| 10 | "Queen Anne's County, MD" | January 5, 2012 | TBA |
| The troubled teens witness a four-day program, they visit a hospital, funeral home, and a go through a mock trial. | |||
| 11 | "Oakland County, MI - Girls" | January 12, 2012 | TBA |
| A trio of girls visit a jail in Detroit | |||
Season 3 (2012–13)
| No. | Title | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Boston, MA (Girls)" | August 20, 2012 | TBA |
| Four of at-risk girls endure a day in jail | |||
| 2 | "Jacksonville, FL (Boys)" | August 27, 2012 | TBA |
| 4 at-risk teens attends a three part "scared straight" tour | |||
| 3 | "St. Clair, IL: The Return of "Ice Mike"" | October 4, 2012 | TBA |
| An inmate named "Ice Mike" teaches the kids what jail is like | |||
| 4 | "Hudson County, NJ" | October 11, 2012 | TBA |
| Boys go inside of one of the toughest jail in New Jersey | |||
| 5 | "Oklahoma City, OK: The Return of Tiny" | October 18, 2012 | TBA |
| Teens are confronted by gang members and their own emotions | |||
| 6 | "San Bernardino, CA" | October 25, 2012 | TBA |
| Parents are losing control of their teens. They see the morgue and one breaks down crying. One finds that the prison food is not easy to eat and stomach. | |||
| 7 | "Lake County, FL" | November 1, 2012 | TBA |
| Floridian teenagers visit a Detention Center. | |||
| 8 | "Fulton County, GA" | November 8, 2012 | TBA |
| Teens go into one of the worst Jails in the southeastern U.S. | |||
| 9 | "Hampton Roads, VA" | November 15, 2012 | TBA |
| 4 teens learn that their not as tough as they think. | |||
| 10 | "Richland County, SC" | December 20, 2012 | TBA |
| A mother of 3 troubled teens from Dallas, Texas drives 1,000 miles to Richland County, South Carolina to enter them in the overnight program. | |||
| 11 | "Oneida County, NY" | December 27, 2012 | TBA |
| A group of hoodlums visit a New York jail. | |||
| 12 | "Oklahoma County, OK" | January 3, 2013 | TBA |
| One teen thinks that Beyond Scared Straight is staged | |||
| 13 | "Floyd County, GA" | January 10, 2013 | TBA |
| A dramatic officer confronts four violent boys. | |||
| 14 | "Portsmouth County, VA" | January 17, 2013 | TBA |
| A at-risk teen who dreams of being a rap star sees the reality of life in jail and gets a wake up call. | |||
| 15 | "Western Tidewater, VA" | January 24, 2013 | TBA |
| Four youths endure a intense day behind bars. | |||
| 16 | "Suffolk County, MA (Boys)" | January 31, 2013 | TBA |
| Teens from Boston face rival gang members | |||
| 17 | "Follow-Up Special" | February 7, 2013 | TBA |
| This follow up special goes back on the last few seasons to see if the teens turned their life around | |||
Season 4 (2013)
| No. | Title | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Oneida, NY" | May 30, 2013 | TBA |
| For a quartet of reckless girls a battle rages at home. But they learn that bringing that fight to jail can start a war they can't survive | |||
| 2 | "Floyd County Jail GA: Deputy Lyle Returns" | June 13, 2013 | TBA |
| Four Georgia Teens have gone Buckwild. | |||
| 3 | "Western Tidewater Regional Jail, VA: Big and Bad" | June 13, 2013 | TBA |
| A combative kid goes defies deputies. | |||
| 4 | "Lake County, FL" | June 27, 2013 | TBA |
| Alissa is reduced to frightened tears, and even the inmates are shocked when her older brother refuses to offer comfort. | |||
| 5 | "Oakland County, MI" | July 11, 2013 | TBA |
| A large teen who attacks his adoptive parents is put in his place | |||
| 6 | "St. Clair County, IL" | July 18, 2013 | TBA |
| At the St Clair County Jail, Ferocious killer and inmate Hustle Man is dragged from the Chapel when he attacks 2 boys who refuse to comb another inmate's chest hair. | |||
| 7 | "Douglas County, GA" | July 25, 2013 | TBA |
| Two sisters refuse to take the program seriously until their mother has a sobbing breakdown at Parent Visitation. | |||
| 8 | "Hampton Roads, VA: Girls Fight Back" | August 1, 2013 | TBA |
| Four troubled teens discover that having bad reputations on the streets can make them targets behind bars. | |||
| 9 | "Richland County, SC: Truth or Consequences" | August 1, 2013 | TBA |
| During a physically exhausting all-night stay in jail, Aaron, 12, a habitual liar, confounds deputies by excelling at every exercise--despite having a broken arm. | |||
Season 5 (2013)
| No. | Title | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Albuquerque, NM: Dance, Bieber, Dance" | October 3, 2013 | TBA |
| A 17-year-old stoner loses his temper when inmates insult his girlfriend. | |||
| 2 | "Floyd County, GA: Snitches Get Stitches" | October 10, 2013 | TBA |
| The episode features an inmate, Toby, who previously appeared on Season 3; Episode 13 as one of the troubled teens. | |||
| 3 | "Oklahoma County, OK: Insane and Chaos" | October 17, 2013 | TBA |
| A bully becomes enraged and tries to escape the program. | |||
| 4 | "Queen Anne's County, MD: Outside and Inside" | October 24, 2013 | TBA |
| Three rebellious teens experience a four-day prevention experience. One teen sobs after visiting a funeral home. | |||
| 5 | "Fulton County, GA" | October 31, 2013 | TBA |
| In Atlanta, four at-risk teens are given a wide-eyed view of the justice system, from having to clean toilets in a cellblock to being interrogated by a judge. | |||
| 6 | "Charlotte County, FL" | November 7, 2013 | TBA |
| A football player's addiction to drugs are blocking him from achieving his goals. | |||
| 7 | "St. Clair, IL" | November 14, 2013 | TBA |
| Two at-risk brothers lose each other in a mob of angry inmates. | |||
| 8 | "Dougherty County, GA" | November 21, 2013 | TBA |
| A 15-year-old street fighter wears a homemade T-shirt that says "Scared Beyond Straight" in order to mock the efforts of the program to scare him straight. | |||
Season 6 (2014)
| No. | Title | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Western Tidewater, VA: Family Ties" | February 28, 2014 | TBA |
| Two sisters and a cousin visit jail. | |||
| 2 | "Douglas County, GA: A Family's Loss" | March 7, 2014 | TBA |
| After the jail tour a 14-year-old fighter who tried to turn her life around lost her older brother, whom she was close with. | |||
| 3 | "Chester County, SC: Roundtree Circle" | March 14, 2014 | TBA |
| A 15-year-old gang member runs into his 20-year-old brother at the Chester County Jail, which leaves him devastated and in tears. | |||
| 4 | "St. Clair County, IL: Precious Time" | March 21, 2014 | TBA |
| A cocky hustler and thief experiences the hellish conditions of the jail | |||
| 5 | "Portsmouth County, VA: Without My Daddy" | April 3, 2014 | TBA |
| Three half-sisters who lost their father explode in anger until inmates and sheriffs force them to confront the source of their anger. | |||
| 6 | "Oklahoma City, OK: Teen Father?" | April 10, 2014 | TBA |
| Two brothers and a sister are on a rampage of crime around their neighborhood while another kid reveals to his mother that he might be having a baby. | |||
| 7 | "Dougherty County, GA: Song for Sandals" | April 17, 2014 | TBA |
| One kid believes he's to smart for jail. | |||
| 8 | "Fulton County, GA: My Father, the Inmate" | April 24, 2014 | TBA |
| A car thief meets his stepfather in jail. | |||
Season 7 (2014)
| No. | Title | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "St. Clair County, IL: Bunk and Junk" | June 26, 2014 | TBA |
| Two at-risk sisters who claim to "Have eachother's back", Betray each-other in the St Clair County Jail. | |||
| 2 | "Chester County, SC: Girls" | July 3, 2014 | TBA |
| Five violent girls experience an all-night stay in jail | |||
| 3 | "San Bernardino, CA: Hold on Turbo" | July 10, 2014 | TBA |
| A 14-year-old named Angel brings the devil out in him. | |||
| 4 | "Hampton Roads, VA: Jailhouse Rap" | July 17, 2014 | TBA |
| One kid encounters a family member in jail | |||
| 5 | "Douglas County, GA: Judgement Day" | July 24, 2014 | TBA |
| A 16-year-old's habit of lying may keep him locked up when judges and deputies catch him in a lie. | |||
| 6 | "Fulton County, GA: Blood Orange" | July 31, 2014 | TBA |
| A 13-year-old boy who claims "Bloods" is bullied at the Fulton County Jail. | |||
Season 8 (2014)
| No. | Title | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Oklahoma City, OK: Tears of a Clown" | December 4, 2014 | TBA |
| Two sisters who emulate the violent lyrics of Insane Clown Posse get a rude-awakening. | |||
| 2 | "Western Tidewater, VA: Mother and Child Reunion" | December 11, 2014 | TBA |
| A 14-year-old stoner has an emotional reunion with her mother | |||
| 3 | "St. Clair County, Ill.: History of Violence" | December 11, 2014 | TBA |
| An aggressive teen has met her match with inmates. | |||
| 4 | "Fulton, GA: Facing Foxxxxy" | December 18, 2014 | TBA |
| A gay teen meets a transgender inmate. | |||
| 5 | "Chester, SC: The Harder They Fall" | December 18, 2014 | TBA |
| A towering, abusive rapper from South Carolina is physically confronted. | |||
Season 9 (2015)
| No. | Title | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Fulton County, GA: Wasted Time" | June 25, 2015 | TBA |
| 2 | "Floyd, GA: Dep. Lyle Lays Down the Law" | July 2, 2015 | TBA |
| 3 | "Portsmouth, VA: Jail House Cookies" | July 9, 2015 | TBA |
| 4 | "Chester, SC: Cornflake, Sandbag & Frozen" | July 16, 2015 | TBA |
| 5 | "Dougherty County, GA: Weekend Worriers" | July 23, 2015 | TBA |
| 6 | "Douglas, GA: Concrete & Steel" | July 30, 2015 | TBA |
| 7 | "Richland County, SC: Final Jeopardy" | August 6, 2015 | TBA |
| 8 | "Oklahoma City, OK: Uncle Inmate" | August 13, 2015 | TBA |
| 9 | "St. Clair, IL: Lexi's Lockup Lash-Out" | August 20, 2015 | TBA |
| 10 | "Douglas County, GA: Buttoning Buttons" | August 27, 2015 | TBA |
| 11 | "Lights Out!" | September 3, 2015 | TBA |
| This special looks back on the series on how it reached out to more than 550 troubled teens. | |||
Controversy
Criticism
Two Department Of Justice officials argued that the program was “not only ineffective but is potentially harmful." The program helps teens by scaring them straight through a lousy concept.[4] The series has been criticized due to the teens being in jail for adults which were considered life threatening and dangerous, and that the show violated the federal Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA).
Related shows
- The World's Strictest Parents
- The Principal's Office
- Teen Trouble
- Sleeping with the Family
- Scared Straight!
References
- Beyond Scared Straight (Crime, Reality-TV), 2011-01-13, retrieved 2023-02-05
- Robbins, Caryn. "A&E's BEYOND SCARED STRAIGHT to Conclude Following Season 9". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
- Beyond Scared Straight (TV Series 2011–2015) - IMDb, retrieved 2023-02-05
- "The Many Things that are Wrong with A&E's "Beyond Scared Straight" Program". Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
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