Below is a comment that I proposed on a well-known blog site. I posted this before finding your site and I am so ecstatic that someone else truly sees what I see. Especially, in regards to "Beyond Scared Straight." It took NO research for me to perceive that this program is an embarrassment to the community.

I used to be the delinquent youth, and for me, past rape and abuse was the primary cause. I did drugs, stole, had a temper and was prone to violence, had no qualms about how I treated others or what I said to them, abhorred ALL types of authority and committed a number of crimes that, by the grace of God, I never had to face criminal consequences in regards to. To be honest, had I gone through a program like "Beyond Scared Straight," I am positive that there would have been a horrible backlash. My disgust with authority would have escalated as a result and I would probably be in prison serving a long sentence.

Thankfully, I have since made the best out of what was once " a wasted life". I am 24 yrs old and I am a college graduate with a Bachelor's of Arts Degree. I am currently working on my Master's in Sociology. I have no children, no criminal record and I work full-time to maintain my responsibilities. I not only understand and have witnessed delinquency, I have experienced it firsthand.

Thank you for pointing out a verity that many of us -whether it be hopeful parents who do not want to believe that there is yet another obstacle and one less program that will help their children, skeptics who would rather question upstanding research rather than face the hard facts or those who share a financial conflict of interest with A & E business- are in denial about.

Here is my comment: I watched an episode of "Beyond Scared Straight" where a 13 yr old girl & a 12 yr old boy were taken to a male prison along with other children, mostly male children. They took the children to general population where the male prisoners behind the bars yelled at the kids in an effort to "scare them straight." Both of the kids in question were sent to the program by their parents because they got into a lot of fights. They did not do drugs or steal, they just fought a lot & got suspended from school. The girl fought because other girls picked on her & the boy fought because other boys constantly called him "gay" & he was trying to prove his manliness. During one of their visits to general population the inmates repeatedly called the little girl the B-word (female dog) & told her they were going to gang-rape her & her mom. They also called the little boy the B & H- words (female dog/garden tool) & called him "gay", saying that if he were in prison with them they would beat him, rape him & turn him gay if he wasn't gay already.

In my opinion, this is extremely unorthodox because who knows why the little girl or boy were acting out? Besides being teased, they could have very well been raped or physically abused in the past. Why would anyone think that the way to change a child's behavior is to call them derogatory/demeaning names & subject them to threats of sexual/physical violence? Also, the little boy had already stated that he fought because boys his age incessantly called him "gay" & were violent towards him. How is taking him to prison & having inmates treat him in the same manner going to help him in the long run?

This show should not be called "Scared Straight" it should be called "Straight Degraded" or "Crookedly Humiliated." Who funds this crap? If either of them were my child, I would have looked into the bullying that they were suffering at school, talked to the teachers/faculty & other children's parents or even put them in counseling. I would NOT have sent them to a show where they could have been, would have been, & were publicly belittled & threatened. Does anyone else think that the "Scared Straight" method of "help" does more harm than good?

I know that my comment was not based on complete facts and that a lot of it was my personal opinion. But, I do believe the saying that "for every action there is a reaction." There is a reason why these children are behaving the way they are and until we get to the root of the problem, no degree of humiliation or threats is going to better their behavior. We do not put out a fire by adding lighter fluid to the flame. We do not lower resistance by increasing tension.

In like manner, we cannot solve the issue of delinquency/criminal behavior by placing kids in an environment with criminals that are worse. This is like saying, "I know you think that you are bad but look, they are really, really, really bad." Big difference! Bad is bad! How can we build our kids up and make them understand that they are worth more than what they are giving themselves? We cannot do it by having other people degrade them. We don't fight fire with fire, we fight fire with water. We need to cool the kids down not get them more irate!

Yes, some kids seem to be "scared straight" but in the grand scheme of things, how long will this fear last? Not very long, I assure you. There is an increasingly "immortal" outlook with youth and soon they will forget of their experience in the "Scared Straight" program and become fearless again. Then, what do we do? Who do we turn to? By discovering why your child has behavioral issues we can deal with the issue head on.

After all, if you take the root or the base away from anything, the rest will inevitably tumble. We must take away the root and the tree will no longer grow. If we eliminate the main issue that is causing our child's delinquency the residual behavior will no longer fester.

No, I do not have all of the answers, no one does. I believe that counseling will help to get to the "root" of the problem but I am aware that counseling does not work for everyone. Still, it is worth more of our time and effort than a quick-fix scare tactic that is fleeting at best.

I give you all my sincerest prayer in hopes that things turn around for your child and all of the youth today. Once again, I thank you Lauren Nissen for enlightening us on this grave concern. You are greatly appreciated!