Back in the late '70s and '80s there was the show Scared Straight where they take a bunch of juvenile delinquents to an adult prison.  The original episode was the first time in American TV history where they were allowed to drop F-bombs and S-bombs without bleeping it out.  8)

The inmates then talked all sorts of cr@p at the kiddies, scared the living daylights out of them (thus the show's title) and they then went on to live their lives on the straight and narrow.  :)

(disclaimer, it really did not work out that way.  Cast member and delinquent Angelo Speziale was convicted in 2005 of the 1982 rape and murder of a girl in Rahway NJ.)

Now in the 2010's it is worked over for the A&E Network. It's now Beyond Scared Straight.  Today they've been running a marathon while I've been doing house chores.  They got this one kid named RJ on right now.  Dude is a bad mofo for sure.  He's 17 and is making $1,000 a week selling reefer.  Nevertheless his Mum sent him to BSS.  They bring him into the main rec room where all the inmates start yammering at him.  Kid stands up, flips them off, and then exclaims "F all of you!  With a pool cue!".  :o

Now THAT's gangsta.  I'm now rooting for this kid.  ;D

They just brought this kid into another room where he and the others get rushed by the inmates, who demand that everybody take off their shoes.  The kids all comply and take their shoes off.

Except for my guy, RJ.  He stands toe to toe with the inmates and says "Hell no! I'm not taking' off my F-in shoes!" and refuses their demands.  He's actually leaning in towards the inmates.  Takes two cops to pull him back.  There's an older inmate called "Nasty Nard" who's intimidating the 13-year-olds, but my boy's standing tall.  8)

Nard says to RJ "I've been here since '84, where were you back then?".  RJ replies "I was in my Daddy's d*ck!" and then tells 'Nard to get out of his face.  "Spit in my face one more time and I'm gonna give it to you," RJ says.  RJ starts standing up to get into Nard's face, and two more cops grab him before he can start swinging.

I predict RJ and nasty Nard will be bunk mates in about 6 months  ::)


I watched an ep of it awhile back. This punk ass kids grandma was a corrections officer in the jail. She had no clue (so they say) he was participating. She cried when she saw the jerk.  ANother kid met with his father who was incarcerated there. Pops was pissed yo.  Don't know if dad got they but he was actually being a dad which was kind of refreshing to see.

I walked away from that ep thinking there was little scaring and even less straightening happen so I never watched another ep. I might give it another try someday tho.

I predict RJ and nasty Nard will be bunk mates in about 6 months  ::)

When they ran the "credits", it said that RJ dropped out of school after 11th grade ("I won't be needing to use any of that stuff in my life"), is pursuing his GED (figure that out), continues to sell dope, and hopes "to get a job in the Army or the Peace Corps".

He also said "Prison wasn't all that bad.  I have alot of friends that have been there and they tell me you get used to it."

So yeah... I think RJ and Nasty Nard will soon be next door neighbors.  But still, I gotta give the kid props for taking cr@p off of nobody.  ;D

But still, I gotta give the kid props for taking cr@p off of nobody.  ;D




I think that's exactly the opposite of how "scared" straight is supposed to work  ;D

They kinda lacked the scared portion of the program w/ RJ.

One thing that bothers me about BSS is that it appears to me to be racist in its casting.

The vast majority (75%+ I think) of "guests" are black or hispanic; anglos are by far the minority.  Pretty much the same with the prisoners, they tend to be mostly black or latino, far more than the 55% black+latino prison population stats.

That aspect of the show bothers me and it feeds into stereotypes I think.  :-\\

One thing that bothers me about BSS is that it appears to me to be racist in its casting.

The vast majority (75%+ I think) of "guests" are black or hispanic; anglos are by far the minority.  Pretty much the same with the prisoners, they tend to be mostly black or latino, far more than the 55% black+latino prison population stats.

That aspect of the show bothers me and it feeds into stereotypes I think.  :-\\



You can't look at the national stats. You have to look at the stats for the county they are in because some counties exceed the national average......but I know what you mean.

You can't look at the national stats. You have to look at the stats for the county they are in because some counties exceed the national average......but I know what you mean.


Why can't they film the show in areas that show other groups of people who get in trouble too?  Mind you I have never been a fan of the whole "diversity for the sake of diversity" concept, but this sort of show I think promotes stereotyping.  :-\\

Why can't they film the show in areas that show other groups of people who get in trouble too?  Mind you I have never been a fan of the whole "diversity for the sake of diversity" concept, but this sort of show I think promotes stereotyping.  :-\\


Unfortunately it's still standard practice. Producers are not thinking hey we should balance this show out. Instead they continue to perpetuate stereotypes that have always existed.

They got this one kid named RJ on right now.  Dude is a bad mofo for sure.  He's 17 and is making $1,000 a week selling reefer.  Nevertheless his Mum sent him to BSS.  They bring him into the main rec room where all the inmates start yammering at him.  Kid stands up, flips them off, and then exclaims "F all of you!  With a pool cue!".  :o

Now THAT's gangsta.  I'm now rooting for this kid.  ;D


That's the reason I've always been skeptical as to how successful this type of show could actually be. Many of these kids come from neighborhoods so rough that, by the time they hit 13 or 14, they've already seen stuff even worse than any visit to prison can throw at them.

That's the reason I've always been skeptical as to how successful this type of show could actually be. Many of these kids come from neighborhoods so rough that, by the time they hit 13 or 14, they've already seen stuff even worse than any visit to prison can throw at them.



good point