4/5 scared straight
  by Angie Baltierra
this program was shown to me by my mom it had a big effect on me.

5/5 Every bad kid should watch this
  by MortensOrchid (Cleveland, OH)
I've encountered some bad kids in my day. Recently I have begun to tutor kids who have troubles, in and out of jail, and wish I could exert the kind of experience that these inmates provided these kids. I'd like to see them scared strait.

Seventeen kids who have been in trouble with the law have been taken into a maximum security prison to be given a talking to by the real inmates. This is a no holds barred approach. If you keep acting up and getting into trouble, you WILL end up here and it's not pretty! You see the arrogance and cocksure attitudes melt away from their faces. They are clearly scared, and after their encounter with the inmates, they all straitened up. Twenty years later, where are those kids and inmates now? Most of the kids (now adults) have indeed straitened up. They went on to live honest lives within the law. One or two, however, did not. One had more encounters with the law and died of AIDS. You can't reach everyone. It was also a good follow up with the inmates themselves. Some are still there, others have been paroled, and some are dead. The scariest one of them all was the one armed man, who made the biggest impression on the kids as well as the viewer.

Sometimes there is no better way to discipline others than to show them the truth. And, what's even scarier, is that even more of these kids will not get the message even with this stimulus. Well, what can you say? You can do your best, and some people will never learn. But maybe programs like this can turn some bad kids into good ones.

5/5 shocking for its time!
  by jim
i watched this when it came out in 1978. i wasnt a troublemaker. the buzz at school the next day was that this was terrifyingly real. this is as topical and important as today back then, perhaps even more so.

broadcast tv didnt have swearing; this did, which made it even more real, gritty, and scary.

the inmates who volunteered for this should be commended. they may have saved hundreds, if not thousands of youths from this living hell.

this film still scares me.

5/5 Scared Straight
  by armymom (northern california)
I highly recommend this film for anyone struggling with addiction or anyone who needs a real change in their life. The beginning of it is a little raw, but it has a "happy ending" and it is touching how these guys change, help others, and make a difference in young people's lives.

5/5 Scared Straight
  by Jesse Killen (Kuwait City, Kuwait, middle east)
This movie was great. No complaints. It never gets old and even after all these years your kids can still learn from it.