Beyond Scared Straight

Ended Thursday / 7:00pm A&E US 45 min.
Beyond Scared Straight is a new series executive produced by Arnold Shapiro and based on his Academy Award and multiple Emmy-Winning documentary "Scared Straight!," that will profile unique approaches to juvenile crime prevention in prisons around the U.S. "Scared Straight!" has become an iconic name and a cultural phenomenon over the years. The film made a huge impact - showcasing the radical and effective juvenile intervention program that took place in a New Jersey prison. Since they were created, both the prison program and the film have turned countless kids away from drugs, violence and crime. The power of the original "Scared Straight!" program has inspired dozens of inmate-run intervention programs in men's and women's prisons across the country; and this series will showcase several of them. Under the auspices of Arnold Shapiro, "Beyond Scared Straight" profiles the new approach to keeping today's kids from becoming tomorrow's convicts. Much like the original version of "Scared Straight!," these youthful offender programs put boys and girls of all ethnicities, ranging in age from 13-18, into intensive one-day in-prison sessions that show them the realities of life behind bars. However, in many dramatic ways, these 21st Century programs are very different from the original because today's youth needs a different approach. For current teens, city streets can be as dangerous as the life they believe exists behind bars. TV, film and music have glorified the gang and prison experience and the task of "scaring" teens is more complicated now than ever. As a result, inmates have had to adapt their methods - making them more a combination of intimidation, information and communication - and the results for the new program have proven to be equally effective. Each 60-minute episode of "Beyond Scared Straight" will focus on a different prison program in the U.S., following 4 -5 at-risk teens. Viewers will follow them as they attend the program, experience the

Season 9

11 Episodes

Sep 03 2015
Aug 27 2015
When a spoiled, 15-year-old gang member is confronted by a swarm of angry inmates in jail, she fights back physically.
Aug 20 2015
Angry sisters Precious, 14, and Keyiona, 17, think they're tough enough for jail, until they are startled to discover a family member serving time at the Oklahoma County Jail.
Aug 13 2015
Caught on video violently attacking his mother, Dylan, a 14-year-old bully, gets a taste of his own brutality during a long overnight stay in South Carolina's Richland County Jail.
Aug 06 2015
A 16-year-old who has run away four times refuses to back down to inmates or deputies at the Douglas County Jail in Georgia, where she discovers an unlikely ally behind bars.
Jul 30 2015
Two baby-faced brothers, ages 12 and 13, are brought to Dougherty County Jail in Georgia in hopes of curing them of their penchant to start fires, steal guns and assault their mother.
Jul 23 2015
Weapons are found on an 18-year-old student, who claims she had no idea she was carrying them and that they belong to a friend. In hopes of a clean slate, she attends a youth intervention program at the Chester County Jail in South Carolina.
Jul 16 2015
The inmates and officers of a Virginia jail are physically challenged by an aggressive 16-year-old gangbanger.
Jul 09 2015
An unpredictable deputy at the Floyd County Sheriff's Office in Georgia bullies, coaxes and comforts to help create new futures for a carjacker, a shoplifting party girl, a violent fighter and a granny-robbing thief.
Jul 02 2015
In the Season 9 premiere, a mother sends her extremely aggressive 15-year-old son on a tour of the Fulton County Jail in Georgia following an incident in which she had to use a Taser and pepper spray in order to defend herself from his attacks.
Jun 25 2015

Season 8

5 Episodes

Dec 18 2014
A violent 15-year-old boy visits prison in Georgia.
Dec 18 2014
Darisha, 17 is a gangbanger who loudly challenges inmates, but is shocked to see a relative behind bars at St. Clair County Jail, IL. She then faces a situation after the tour with potentially fatal circumstances.
Dec 11 2014
A 14-year-old girl visits prison in Virginia, where her mother is incarcerated.
Dec 11 2014
In Oklahoma City, Kerina, 16, and Siera, 14, are sisters who emulate the violent lyrics and wear the face paint of the Insane Clown Posse. They learn that there is no clowning around in jail.
Dec 04 2014

Season 7

6 Episodes

A 13-year-old arsonist schemes to assault members of a rival gang, but his criminal plans change after he squeals on a larcenous convict.
Jul 31 2014
A combative Georgia teenager lies to a judge and is ordered to spend some time in the Douglas County Jail.
Jul 24 2014
A violent 15-year-old fighter gets socked by reality after an unexpected jailhouse encounter with a relative.
Jul 17 2014
A 14-year-old from San Bernardino, Calif., who hangs out with hang members spends a memorable day behind bars.
Jul 10 2014
A larcenous teen uses a Taser on her enemies; cameras capture a young brawler's humiliating defeat; a loudmouth threatens to kill her teacher; a spoiled brat shoplifts and plays hooky.
Jul 03 2014
A stint in jail tests the loyalty of two close-knit sisters; a teenage thief follows in the footsteps of his younger brother.
Jun 26 2014

Season 6

8 Episodes

A remorseless 17-year-old car thief finds his world crashing down when he learns his stepfather is in a Georgia jail.
Apr 24 2014
A 12-year-old genius learns he isn't as smart as he imagines after he enters Georgia's Dougherty County Jail.
Apr 17 2014
Two brothers and a sister on a rampage of crime and violence are separated after being admitted to an Oklahoma jail.
Apr 10 2014
A 14-year-old girl and her younger half-sister act out violently in the slammer; two teenage brothers make different choices during their stint in a Virginia jail.
Apr 03 2014
A 19-year-old high-school sophomore breaks into home and hustles on the street; two teenage drug users join the residents of the St. Clair County Jail in Illinois.
Mar 27 2014
A 15-year-old's world shatters when he sees his tough older brother wearing prison garb; a stoner takes a second tour of jail; deputies put the pressure on a baby-faced bully and a 19-year-old thief.
Mar 14 2014
Aggressive sisters Quaja and Quona are joined by their cousin Tay-Tay for an evening in a Virginia jail.
Mar 14 2014
A teen trying to head down a better path meets a heartbreaking fate on the streets, inspiring family members left behind to live better lives.
Mar 07 2014

Season 5

8 Episodes

A cocky thief, a pint-sized stoner, a violent ne'er-do-well and a serial shoplifter are placed in Georgia's Dougherty County Jail to experience the reality of life behind bars.
Nov 21 2013
Young brothers are separated soon after entering the St. Clair County Jail in Illinois; a stoner learns the pursuit of weed could land him among hardened criminals; a tough teen meets a meaner gang member behind bars.
Nov 14 2013
A teenage football star's drug use and violent ways threaten his dreams of a career in law enforcement; a police officer's son believes that he is above the law; a hulking teen troublemaker meets his match.
Nov 07 2013
Small crimes threaten the light bond between two brothers; the teens visit an "alternative lifestyle" ward.
Oct 31 2013
A jail inmate tosses chairs at a young troublemaker; a 16-year-old boozer has a sobering experience at a funeral home; a surprise witness in the courtroom threatens a teen's freedom.
Oct 24 2013
A young Oklahoma offender tries to escape during a jail visit; preteen toughs are forced to display their loyalty to their respective rival gangs; a teen arsonist gets burned by his actions.
Oct 17 2013
A once-violent, now submissive inmate hopes to make a difference in the lives of the new young offenders in his facility.
Oct 10 2013
A stoner gets violent when inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque, N.M., sully his girlfriend's honor; a 14-year-old "chick magnet" draws unwanted comparisons to a teen idol.
Oct 03 2013

Season 4

9 Episodes

During a physically exhausting all-night jail stay in Richland County, SC, Aaron, 12, a habitual liar, confounds deputies by excelling at every exercise--despite having a broken arm.
Aug 01 2013
Four troubled youngsters with bad attitudes take a trip to jail, only to learn their street reputations make them targets on the inside.
Aug 01 2013
Two defiant teenage sisters foolishly believe they can survive in jail; a car-stealing bully discovers jail is full of bigger, tougher individuals than himself.
Jul 25 2013
Ferocious killer Hustle Man attacks an at-risk teen who refuses to comb another prison inmate's chest hair.
Jul 18 2013
A large 14-year-old who attacks his adoptive parents meets the hardened inmates and officers of a Michigan jail.
Jul 11 2013
A 12-year-old girl is reduced to tears during a frightening stay in Florida's Lake County Detention Center.
Jun 27 2013
A 14-year-old street brawler's defiant attitude surprises the deputies at a Virginia jail.
Jun 13 2013
A colorful deputy attempts to change the lives of four teenage troublemakers spending time at his Georgia jail.
Jun 06 2013
Four troubled girls get a true taste of prison life during a stay at the Oneida County Correctional Facility.
May 30 2013

Season 3

17 Episodes

Teens featured in earlier episodes of the series are revisited to see if their jailhouse experiences had any meaningful impact on their lives.
Feb 07 2013
New visitors to the clink include a light-fingered football prodigy, a pot-smoking teen from the suburbs, and an aspiring rap star who thinks that hard time will improve his rhymes.
Jan 31 2013
A promiscuous teenage troublemaker shares a cell with a relative in Virginia's Western Tidewater Regional Jail, only to learn that family bonds aren't strengthened behind bars.
Jan 24 2013
Inmates at the Portsmouth County Jail lay some hard truths on a would-be rap star; pugnacious siblings are confronted with difficult choices; officers threaten to extend a disrespectful teen's visit.
Jan 17 2013
A man suffering from cancer hopes that a stint in Georgia's Floyd County Jail will teach his angry teenage son an important lesson.
Jan 10 2013
Hardened criminals in the Oklahoma County Detention Center teach a spoiled drama queen a valuable lesson.
Jan 03 2013
A teen visitor to the Oneida County Correctional Facility in central New York takes a seat in a restraint chair, while another young hoodlum gets handcuffed before he even enters the joint.
Dec 27 2012
A Texas mother sends her three troublesome daughters to an overnight jail program in Richland County, South Carolina.
Dec 20 2012
A visiting teenage drug dealer fearlessly takes on the taunting residents of a Virginia jail; inmate Nasty Nard greets the newcomers with aggression.
Nov 15 2012
A young drug dealer, a child model and twin bullies enter a Georgia jail for a personal experience of the criminal-justice system.
Nov 08 2012
Swampland troublemakers who receive an attitude adjustment include a 17-year-old who uses her looks to her advantage and a young thug who meets a family member behind bars.
Nov 01 2012
Authorities hope a tour of prison will knock some much-needed sense into some troublesome teens from Southern California's San Bernardino County.
Oct 25 2012
The Return of "Tiny"
Oct 18 2012
Oct 11 2012
The Return of "Ice Mike" Troubled teens that attend the St. Clair County Jail diversion program take a lie detector test that reveals some shocking secrets. Inmates "Ice Mike" and "Hustle Man" return (from last season) to confront a BMX-riding stoner, a fearless gangster, a terrorizing bully, and Summer--a promiscuous under age girl who just doesn t say no to older boys--and her paralyzed mom can't stop her. Summer experiences the humiliation of jailhouse make-up and the surprising reaction Ice Mike has to her shameful behavior. Summer freaks out when she sees an inmate strapped into a restraint chair, and going wild. Pot-smoking Austin, 15, discovers an inmate who dipped his hands into boiling oil while high on drugs. Jeremy, 17, is tormented by inmates when they learn he assaulted his grandmother. An entire cell block descends on the four teens--and they have nowhere to hide.
Oct 04 2012
In Jacksonville, Florida, four at-risk teens attend a three-part "scared straight" tour. Towering over nearly everyone, KeShawn, 15, is intimidated by no one. But when KeShawn witnesses his pint-sized little brother, Kevon, suffering the terrifying consequences of trying to imitate his big bro, KeShawn breaks down, and gets a glimpse of what the future holds for both of them. Also, Johnny, a white, self-proclaimed racist, endures the wrath of the black inmate population.
Aug 27 2012
Four troublesome teenage girls, including a street brawler and a thief, are thrown into a female jail to experience a taste of their possible future.
Aug 20 2012

Season 2

12 Episodes

In the third-season finale, a teenage pyromaniac visits Virginia's Hampton Roads Regional Jail, where his mom works as a deputy.
Jan 19 2012
Female troublemakers known as the Three Musketeer learn some hard lessons behind bars.
Jan 12 2012
At the Queen Anne's County Jail "Reset" program in Maryland, six at-risk teens endure a four-day intervention program depicting the terrors of jail, a drunk driving fatality in a hospital trauma center and a glimpse of their own funeral. Eighteen year-old partiers Daria and Christopher, who are girlfriend and boyfriend, will find their relationship tested when they are forced to testify against each other in court.
Jan 05 2012
Siblings visit the Western Tidewater Regional Jail in Virginia.
Dec 29 2011
Teen girls visit a prison in San Bernardino County, Cal., where one of the teens gets into a confrontation that turns physical.
Dec 22 2011
A prison in St. Clair, Ill., is visited by teens who are threatened by screaming inmates
Dec 15 2011
South Carolina law-enforcement officials hope a long night in jail will knock some sense into teenage troublemakers.
Dec 08 2011
In the second-season finale, San Bernardino County Jail in California is visited by four teens who are also taken to the morgue to witness the consequences of gang violence.
Sep 15 2011
Teens in Oklahoma are being pulled into the gang lifestyle.
Sep 08 2011
The at-risk teens of Portsmouth County, Virginia aren't afraid to fight back when confronted with a loud cellblock at Portsmouth County Jail. For one teen, a day is not enough and he is shocked when deputies show up at his home and return him to the
Sep 01 2011
Oakland County, Michigan is a stone's throw from Detroit's infamous 8-Mile and the streets here are just as tough - but the deputies and inmates who run Oakland County Jail's "Turn-Around" program are even tougher.
Aug 25 2011
In Charlotte, NC, teen troublemaker Jose goes head-to-head with terrifying inmates and Sgt. Garrett, one of the toughest female jail deputies Beyond Scared Straight has come across. When Jose refuses to follow an order, Sgt. Garrett makes it her mission to break him down.
Aug 18 2011

Season 1

7 Episodes

Four shoplifting friends are exposed to a degrading prison entry process.
Mar 03 2011
Maryland inmates give a group of five at-risk teens a taste of prison when they are forced to eat "Lock-up Loaf," a brick of baked mush served to unruly prisoners. The teens include, Shane, 17, a redneck who is surprised he hasn't killed anyone, Garrett, 13, who HAS been kicked out of eight schools already, Brandy, 16, who skips school to smoke pot, her brother Shawn, 15, who protects Brandy at any cost and Richard, 18, a towering jock who drinks, blacks out and awakens bloodied from brawling.
Feb 24 2011
Four at-risk teens are brought to one of the nation's most infamous prisons to participate in the S.Q.U.I.R.E.S. program? the oldest inmate-run youth diversion program in the nation. The program, short for San Quentin's Utilization of Inmate Resources, Experiences & Studies, shows these kids the realities of prison life. They see the state's only male Death Row, are paraded past the heckles of the prisoners in the overcrowded cells and discuss how the constant fear of violence and physical harm is around every corner.
Feb 10 2011
Lieber 1x04
Six at-risk teens experience Lieber Correctional Facility in Ridgeville, SC, to get a first-hand look and feel at life on the inside. The inmate-run "Operation Behind Bars" program locks up the teens in tiny cells, gives them a taste prison food and offers a glimpse into "Lock-Up," a prison within the prison for the worst of the inmate population. Shaming the teens with a stern tone, the program coordinator, civilian Nell Westbury, adds a unique voice to the inmate's onslaught.
Feb 03 2011
Hardened criminals at the California prison that is home to Charles Manson give teens a taste of life on the yard, where any prisoner can approach the kids and give them a feel for the dangers of prison life. The teens include Stephen, 16, a violent youth who threatens his teachers; Josh and Armando, 16, twin brothers and gang members; Elijha, 15, a car thief; and Abraham, 16, who thinks that going to jail is no big deal.
Jan 27 2011
Jessup 1x02
Five teens learn the harsh realities of prison life at the Maryland Correctional Institution at Jessup, where dozens of menacing inmates, including convicted murderers, surround the kids and taunt them. The teens include Steve, 17, who likes the "outlaw" life; Brandon, 17, who's been arrested five times; Dion, who admits to selling drugs; and Sahn, 13, who steals polo shirts because he's got a "passion for fashion.
Jan 20 2011
The Valley State Prison for Women.
Jan 13 2011