Scared Straight! The Panacea Phenomenon Revisited

This study examines why, in the face of data that show its ineffectiveness, the "Scared Straight" approach to delinquency prevention continues to be used in some jurisdictions. The author's 1982 edition examined and critiqued the Scared Straight project at New Jersey's Rahway State Prison. It identified the program as unable to deal with juvenile delinquency; associated it with a pattern of failure in other efforts to deal with juvenile delinquency; and linked these to a futile but persistent quest for simple remedies or cure-alls. This pattern was referred to as the "panacea phenomenon". This new edition updates the evidence and extends the discussion. The panacea phenomenon is identified as a myth, having the function of offering simple explanations for complex, often otherwise unexplainable issues and problems. The original Scared Straight case study is then reviewed and evidence of Scared Straight's performance since 1982 presented. A description of Norway's Ullersmo project, which operated from 1992 to 1996 and was based on U.S. models, is offered as an international example of the panacea phenomenon in action. The book concludes that Scared Straight and programs like it, survive despite evidence that they do not work because they are harmonious with certain deeply held beliefs about crime, punishment, and human behavior. One such belief -- that fear of consequences sustains behavioral change -- is a cornerstone of the Scared Straight program.