Michigan's Department of Corrections recentl y completed an evaluation of Project JOLT, a "Scared Straight" type of program. The evaluation failed to find any' benefits to juveniles from the program, and therefore the department recommended its cancellation. This, in turn, resulted in a public hearing at which this recommendation was challenged b y raising a number of considerations that went beyond the evaluation study. This paper clarifies the debate between the tvo sides and raises some theoretical, methodological, and political issues surrounding the Scared Straight approach.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Duffee, D.
, & Fitch, R.An introduction to corrections: A polie and systems approach. Pacific Palisades, California: Goodyear, 1976.
2.
Finkenauer, J.O.Scared Straight! and the panacea phenomenon. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1982.
3.
Homant, R.J.Therapy effectiveness in a correctional institution
. Offender Rehabilitation, 1976, 1, 101-113.
4.
Hovland, C.I.Reconciling conflicting results derived from experimental and survey studies of attitude change
. American Psychologist, 1959, 14, 8-17.
5.
Hovland, C.I.
, & Weiss, W.The influence of source credibility on communication effectiveness. Public Opinion QuarterI', 1951, 15, 635-650.
6.
Penner, L.A.Social psychology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978.
7.
Rokeach, M.The nature of human values. New York: MacMillan, 1973.
