Scared straight programs are also fall in line with “tough on crime” mentality in the justice system, said Jeffrey Butts, director of research and evaluation at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and expert on criminal behavior. “It’s a strong thing in America that we believe that being tough on people, punishing people, coercing them – basically forcing them to behave the way we want them to behave – it will somehow work,” he said. Continue reading JJIE—Scared Straight Programs Remain Popular Among Parents

Juvenile justice expert Jeffrey Butts said he’s not surprised that JJIE’s analysis found the similar recidivism rates. “It’s a finding I would predict in all states,” he said.

In part, that’s because society holds a false expectation about juvenile lockups, “a fantasy that incarceration is treatment,” said Butts, director of the Research and Evaluation Center at New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “We lock them up and then we convince ourselves it’s good for the kids too.” Continue reading Center for Public Integrity—Georgia’s Troubled Effort to Reduce Juvenile Crime