A&E feature OK County Jail in "Beyond Scared Straight"

[adaniel]

Surprised nobody posted this yet...

I'm sure you are all aware of the 70's documentary "Scared Straight," that featured at risk teens being placed in adult prisons to show them the possible results of their actions. The concept has since been "revived" per say by A&E. Last night they featured Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office "Reality Check" program.

I know some aren't big on reality television, but if you have 45 mintues today, its a really good, if not unsettling view, of juvenile deliquents being confronted with a harsh reality.

http://www.aetv.com/beyond-scared-straight/video/

The episoe re-air will be next Thursday as well.

[BBatesokc]

FYI - Tulsa County jail was featured on the program 'Jail' on Spike TV also.

[dmoor82]

Ha!,I grew up with 2 friends who are both detention officers at the OK County jail and one of them is on this special!Thanks for postin' adaniel!

[Thunder]

I went on a field trip once to this county jail. I think the 12th or 13th floor was where the teens are. We went to the very top where they can hang around outside and the vibration was intense. The building is probably not very solid? There was a lot of unnecessary pressurized doors we had to walk through (line had to be split up in groups, because the door don't wait for us all to pass through). We visited the laundry area, cafeteria, and other interesting areas. Most of the cells were inhumane, but I don't know how it is out there now. There was even U shape pipes connected to the floor in hallways where some of them was handcuffed to, which of course is also inhumane. We were advised to not get close or interact with anyone in orange suits, but the prisoners we encountered was all very friendly to us. I never got to see the neutralization room where prisoners are murdered by prison and state officials.

[MustangGT]

I wonder if you saw any or your relatives/friends in the jail. Normal schools and normal students do not routinely tour the jail. You must be one of the special people. Your statements about inhumane circumstance are based upon youth/ignorance/low education. There are NO pressurized doors. They doors are electronically controlled from central control.

[Thunder]

I wonder if you saw any or your relatives/friends in the jail. Normal schools and normal students do not routinely tour the jail. You must be one of the special people. Your statements about inhumane circumstance are based upon youth/ignorance/low education. There are NO pressurized doors. They doors are electronically controlled from central control.

I love how you just presented yourself as an idiot even more. I went to normal public school with normal students. Unfortunately, you were not afforded that opportunity while growing up. Its not to late to earn yourself a GED and try to get past the "Do you want fries with that" level. The doors were pressurized, at least what we were told. Things change over time. I remember those doors do not stop once its in closing motion. Go out there and check it out, pig boy, and see if the door stop for you. Now, no cheating the system, you have to stay in position. We'll know the end result on the 10 o'clock newscast.

[MustangGT]

My parents loved me well enough I went to private school for a superior education. I have dual engineering degrees from OU. The door situation has NOT changed over time. You were obviously misinformed or misheard. I occasionally ride with officers and have been to the jail may times on ride alongs and I am familiar with the jail.

[dmoor82]

I went on a field trip once to this county jail. I think the 12th or 13th floor was where the teens are. We went to the very top where they can hang around outside and the vibration was intense. The building is probably not very solid? There was a lot of unnecessary pressurized doors we had to walk through (line had to be split up in groups, because the door don't wait for us all to pass through). We visited the laundry area, cafeteria, and other interesting areas. Most of the cells were inhumane, but I don't know how it is out there now. There was even U shape pipes connected to the floor in hallways where some of them was handcuffed to, which of course is also inhumane. We were advised to not get close or interact with anyone in orange suits, but the prisoners we encountered was all very friendly to us. I never got to see the neutralization room where prisoners are murdered by prison and state officials.

The 13th floor is a medical floor and I believe the 5th is the juvenile floor!

[Thunder]

The 13th floor is a medical floor and I believe the 5th is the juvenile floor!

Kool, they changed it around.

[White Peacock]

My parents loved me well enough I went to private school for a superior education.

A bit arrogant, are we?

[Architect2010]

My parents loved me well enough I went to private school for a superior education. I have dual engineering degrees from OU. The door situation has NOT changed over time. You were obviously misinformed or misheard. I occasionally ride with officers and have been to the jail may times on ride alongs and I am familiar with the jail.

First of all, you will never know how superior of an education you may have received compared to the millions of various persons in this world, and I doubt that it was your parent's love, but rather your parent's MONEY. Sorry, but I think most parents love their kids enough to want the same thing. I know some truly stupid people that come out of Bishop, Cassady, whatever. Education is up to the individual; meaning going to a nice school, doesn't necessarily make you "superior". Oh and just so you know that your superior education obviously hasn't worked so well: normal schools and normal students DO tour the jail. I remember going for a routine tour as a child with my elementary school too.

[MikeOKC]

A school field trip to the county jail? What kind of school did you go to that took kids to a jail on a field trip and had to tell you not to interact with the prisoners? Seriously. I'm with Mustang completely. That just doesn't ring possible.

[Thunder]

I think it was Townsend or OSD. We were all lil kids. Its a part of education. We went to a lot of places for field trips.

[BBatesokc]

A school field trip to the county jail? What kind of school did you go to that took kids to a jail on a field trip and had to tell you not to interact with the prisoners? Seriously. I'm with Mustang completely. That just doesn't ring possible.

Sounds like a field trip that will have more impact than say, going to the softball hall of fame, etc. Maybe if more kids saw the reality of jail they'd try and avoid it.

Just an FYI - I had parents that sent me to boarding school (San Marcos Baptist Military Academy and then Casady). I begged to be allowed to go to public school and proudly finished up at Putnam City Original.

[MikeOKC]

Sounds like a field trip that will have more impact than say, going to the softball hall of fame, etc. Maybe if more kids saw the reality of jail they'd try and avoid it.

Just an FYI - I had parents that sent me to boarding school (San Marcos Baptist Military Academy and then Casady). I begged to be allowed to go to public school and proudly finished up at Putnam City Original.

Putnam City Original was still a real school then. It's a ghetto today and I doubt you'd be begging to get in. Have you been back? Even worse at PCW. Very sad.

[BBatesokc]

Putnam City Original was still a real school then. It's a ghetto today and I doubt you'd be begging to get in. Have you been back?

When back a couple of times in 2009 to film some stuff for our 20-year reunion. The new science building (that replaced our smoking area) looked pretty impressive and the principal was my old science teacher.

[MDot]

PCO has it's ups and downs and is a good school but has a few problems "thug" wise. A huge chunk of the students there do drugs and what not but that's kinda the case everywhere now and everyone wants to be in a gang and had a young man who I sat next to in class and partnered with him for certain projects who is in prison right now for a gang related murder. I attended there, my last year was 09-10 school year, so I'm not sure how it is now but I had a major problem with a lot of the students but the teachers and leadership there is great and thought it was overall a pretty good school. But I'd probably consider it ghetto cause of the student body there.

[bombermwc]

I remember trips from East Side Elementary in Mid-Del to the Tinker FD, MWC PD, Zoo, Martin Nature Center, Arbuckles, Health Fairs, etc. We went to stuff all over the place that they don't get to anymore because of budgets.

The jail would have been pretty new when I was a little guy, so it's entirely possible that fields trips could have been taken there. It wouldn't have been very full at that time so it would have been a lot easier to put kids in contact with more "trusted" inmates. Pressureized doors, no. There's no pressure system there Thunder. My cousin was actually a jailer there for some time with the Sherrif's office. Do they have compartments with electric doors, yes. It's a way to control the flow of people. If the officer told you they were pressurized, then I'm sure he was just messing with you. But more likely, you didn't hear him right.

And 100% in agreement with Architect. Just because it's private school, doesn't mean you're smarter...just that your parents had more money. You know how you compare that? ACT, SAT, etc. Public school kids get perfect scores all the time too. And in fact, my own high school had 7 national merit finalists in one year while I was there. We had several people every time the test came around that were in the 30+ range of the ACT. Academic All-Staters. Something like 40 4.0 students. So I'd say they were doing a pretty stinking good job. And the millions of dollars in scholarship money that those students earned rather then mommy and daddy simply coughing it up, makes a big statement too. And just for the record, I went to public school and private university. So i've been in both worlds.

[C2559]

My son is not on drugs, fighting, running away or any these thing he just has a very bad attitude thinks he knows everything. Sadly he turn 16 today he is a JR this year. He's very smart doesn't make the bad decisions with drugs and those things but I am afraid either he will take all his anger and kill someone or someone will kill him. The last 3 years I have been sick and his attitude as gotten worse. It's easy to say spanking them, punish them and so on but it's not so easy. I appease these officer's, inmates and ppl behind the scene for making this reality show. Keep up the good work.

[Jenny Penn]

Beyond Scared Straight is worth watching, but its fake. This is a show where they take at-risk youths that are getting into trouble at home, in school and on the street and take them to a prison to show them what life is like behind bars. Beyond Scared Straight is different from other contemporary reality shows because it takes its time getting to the real meat of the show: the confrontations between prisoners and visiting teens.