TV BOOK; PLUGGED IN
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Gone are the days when kids abusing drugs and alcohol was a problem of a
slim few whose stories were swept under the family rug. Today, the airwaves
are peppered with cautionary images - of a young girl (ironically, looking
very heroin chic) destroying a kitchen with a frying pan to demonstrate
the effects of heroin, and of Pam, the Massachusetts woman ravaged by
years of cigarette smoking, talking frankly about her grim existence.
There are drug education and outreach programs in schools and colleges and
let's not forget Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign.

In full force now, the anti-drug public service campaign was spurred on 20
years ago by the then ground-breaking documentary "Scared Straight!" Hosted
by actor Peter Falk, the Oscar- and Emmy-winning documentary profiled
Rahway (N.J.) State Prison's attempt to scare youthful offenders into
changing their lives by bringing them face to face with real convicts
serving life sentences. Now UPN offers up a "Scared Straight" sequel,
revisiting those same kids and convicts today for "Scared Straight: 20
Years Later."

Hosted by Danny Glover, the UPN documentary explores the impact the
original documentary had on the participants, and reveals if the convicts
are still in prison and if the kids - now in their mid 30's - stayed out of
prison.

"Scared Straight: 20 Years Later" is scheduled to air in April.