1979 SPECIAL REPORT: "BALTIMORE CITY SCARED STRAIGHT"

As a result of the film, many states introduced “scared straight” programs in an attempt to rehabilitate young delinquents.

In April 1978, James Finckenauer, a professor of the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice, began a test of the Scared Straight program, using a control group, something that had not been done previously.

His study concluded that children who attended Rahway were more likely to commit crimes than those who did not.

A meta-analysis of the results of a number of Scared Straight and similar programs found that they actively increased crime rates and lead to higher re-offense rates compared to control groups that did not receive the intervention. The cause of the increase in crime is not clear.

The UK College of Policing agrees that there is “very strong quality” evidence that Scared Straight programs cause an increase in crime.[19]

In 2011, two Justice Department officials wrote an op-ed piece in The Baltimore Sun describing scared straight programs as “ineffective” and “potentially harmful.” The officials, OJJDP Acting Administrator Jeff Slowikowski and Laurie O. Robinson wrote that “when it comes to our children,” policymakers and parents should “follow evidence, not anecdote.”

In 2004, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy estimated that each dollar spent on Scared Straight programs incurred costs of $203.51

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