Review: "Scared Straight" and other juvenile awareness programmes increase criminal behaviour.

Main results 9 studies (8 randomised controlled trials) met the selection criteria. The mean age of participants ranged from 15–17 years. Only 1 study included girls. Follow up ranged from 3–24 months. None of the 9 studies showed a benefit for “Scared Straight” or other juvenile awareness programmes. When results for the 7 studies reporting reoffence data for each group were combined, juvenile awareness programmes led to an increase in criminal behaviour relative to no treatment (table); this effect was present with both random and fixed effects models. The effect was slightly smaller when a trial with randomisation problems was removed; the results were similar when 1 study with potential for high attrition was removed from the analysis (table). Conclusion In children who have been, or are at risk of being, adjudicated or convicted by juvenile courts, “Scared Straight” and other juvenile awareness programmes increase criminal behaviour.