The BEST episodes of Beyond Scared Straight

Every episode of Beyond Scared Straight ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Beyond Scared Straight!

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

Last Updated: 2/2/2024Network: A&EStatus: Ended
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Follow-Up Special
star
9.00
2 votes

#1 - Follow-Up Special

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/7/2013

Teens featured in earlier episodes of the series are revisited to see if their jailhouse experiences had any meaningful impact on their lives.

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Oakland County, Mich
star
8.78
9 votes

#2 - Oakland County, Mich

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/11/2013

A large 14-year-old who attacks his adoptive parents meets the hardened inmates and officers of a Michigan jail.

San Bernardino, CA
star
8.77
13 votes

#3 - San Bernardino, CA

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/25/2012

Authorities hope a tour of prison will knock some much-needed sense into some troublesome teens from Southern California's San Bernardino County.

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Hudson County, NJ
star
8.64
14 votes

#4 - Hudson County, NJ

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/11/2012

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Fulton County, Ga.:  Blood Orange
star
8.42
19 votes

#5 - Fulton County, Ga.: Blood Orange

Season 7 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/31/2014

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.

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Suffolk County, Mass.:  Boys
star
8.38
8 votes

#6 - Suffolk County, Mass.: Boys

Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/31/2013

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.

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Oakland County, MI
star
8.37
27 votes

#7 - Oakland County, MI

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/25/2011

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.

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Portsmouth County, VA
star
8.37
19 votes

#8 - Portsmouth County, VA

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/1/2011

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

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Western Tidewater Regional Jail, Va:  Big and Bad
star
8.30
10 votes

#9 - Western Tidewater Regional Jail, Va: Big and Bad

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/13/2013

A 14-year-old street brawler's defiant attitude surprises the deputies at a Virginia jail.

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Portsmouth, Va.: Jail House Cookies
star
8.26
39 votes

#10 - Portsmouth, Va.: Jail House Cookies

Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/9/2015

The inmates and officers of a Virginia jail are physically challenged by an aggressive 16-year-old gangbanger.

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Western Tidewater Regional Jail, VA
star
8.21
14 votes

#11 - Western Tidewater Regional Jail, VA

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/29/2011

Siblings visit the Western Tidewater Regional Jail in Virginia.

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Floyd County Jail, Ga:  Deputy Lyle Returns
star
8.17
6 votes

#12 - Floyd County Jail, Ga: Deputy Lyle Returns

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/6/2013

A colorful deputy attempts to change the lives of four teenage troublemakers spending time at his Georgia jail.

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Charlotte County, Fla.
star
8.17
12 votes

#13 - Charlotte County, Fla.

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/7/2013

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.

San Bernadino County, CA
star
8.13
16 votes

#14 - San Bernadino County, CA

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/15/2011

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.

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St.Clair County, IL: History of Violence
star
8.11
18 votes

#15 - St.Clair County, IL: History of Violence

Season 8 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/11/2014

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.

Lights Out!
star
8.11
27 votes

#16 - Lights Out!

Season 9 - Episode 11 - Aired 9/3/2015

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Oakland County, Mich. (Girls)
star
8.08
12 votes

#17 - Oakland County, Mich. (Girls)

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/12/2012

Female troublemakers known as the Three Musketeer learn some hard lessons behind bars.

Fulton County, Ga.
star
8.07
15 votes

#18 - Fulton County, Ga.

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/31/2013

Small crimes threaten the light bond between two brothers; the teens visit an "alternative lifestyle" ward.

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Hampton Roads Regional Jail
star
8.06
18 votes

#19 - Hampton Roads Regional Jail

Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/19/2012

In the third-season finale, a teenage pyromaniac visits Virginia's Hampton Roads Regional Jail, where his mom works as a deputy.

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Chester County, S.C.:  Girls
star
8.04
24 votes

#20 - Chester County, S.C.: Girls

Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/3/2014

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.

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St. Clair County, Ill.
star
8.00
10 votes

#21 - St. Clair County, Ill.

Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/18/2013

Ferocious killer Hustle Man attacks an at-risk teen who refuses to comb another prison inmate's chest hair.

St. Clair County, Ill:  Bunk & Junk
star
8.00
22 votes

#22 - St. Clair County, Ill: Bunk & Junk

Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/26/2014

A stint in jail tests the loyalty of two close-knit sisters; a teenage thief follows in the footsteps of his younger brother.

Dougherty County, GA: Weekend Worriers
star
7.95
19 votes

#23 - Dougherty County, GA: Weekend Worriers

Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/23/2015

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.

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Oklahoma County, Okla
star
7.94
17 votes

#24 - Oklahoma County, Okla

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/8/2011

Teens in Oklahoma are being pulled into the gang lifestyle.

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St. Clair, Ill.: Lexi's Lockup Lash-Out
star
7.94
31 votes

#25 - St. Clair, Ill.: Lexi's Lockup Lash-Out

Season 9 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/20/2015

When a spoiled, 15-year-old gang member is confronted by a swarm of angry inmates in jail, she fights back physically.