From time to time, I hear about so-called “Scared Straight” programs. Those where convicts and various legal officials lecture, explain, and show teenagers what could happen, if they don’t start making better choices.
Do other cultures have similar programs? Would such a program even be considered in the first place, in other cultures?
If it works in other cultures, that would be very interesting. It certainly doesn’t work in this one:
Public executions?
How wide/ narrow do you define cultures?
In general*, European prisons don’t work on the revenge system like in the US, and a minimum of human right standards must be met.
So scaring people by showing how horrible prisons are when they aren’t horrible won’t work.
Nevertheless, I’ve just heard of some projects where young people have supervised visits to prisons and can talk with the convicts. Not because prisons are so horrible (you are regularly raped or beaten), but because it’s still more unpleasant than outside, and because if you can avoid 1 year behind bars and getting your life straight without that, that’s better.
The aim is not only to reduce the visible crime rate, but also to help each person live a good life, because being a criminal is generally not a pleasant life (even the drug bosses who live in luxury have to worry about being killed in drug wars; and low-level criminals have a sucky life. That’s why the convicts say they want to clean up their act, they are tired of constant violence and look forward to a quiet stable life.
*apparently France still has horrible prisons despite the EU telling them to change things
How high is the success rate of these “scared straight” programs, anyway? For example, harsh sentences don’t deter crime if people think they won’t be caught, or don’t think before acting at all. So teaching people how to deal with angry words without seeing red and start a fight, or how not to attack any guy who happens to “look wrong at you”, would be more successful than just showing them how horrible prison is.
Do they have an alternative chance to get ahead and earn money, or do they turn to crime in desperation and because the only role models in their area are gang members running drugs? Providing alternatives and better role models would work better.
A lot of teenagers esp. suffer from inability to properly assess risks, both to themselves and to others, in their activity. They may not realize that they are endangering somebody else’s life or their own future with their stupid stunts, because their brain is being re-wired during puberty. Scaring straight will therefore not work much.
Read the links in Derleth’s post. Scared Straight programs don’t work. They seem, in fact, to be counterproductive.