Scared Straight! Another Story(1980)

A shocking taste of life behind bars

Scared Straight! Another Story is a documentary that follows a group of young offenders through a shock-therapy program inside a maximum-security penitentiary. Confronted by hardened inmates serving life sentences for violent crimes, the teenagers face the brutal realities of prison life firsthand. The film documents whether this intense intervention—designed to deter them from criminal paths—actually changes their behavior and outlook. By placing at-risk youth directly in the presence of long-term prisoners, the program aims to demonstrate the consequences of crime in the starkest possible terms. The documentary captures raw, unfiltered encounters between the two groups, exploring whether fear and reality can succeed where traditional rehabilitation has failed.