You may well recall the sensational documentary Scared Straight!, the famous '78 feature that successfully exploited the youth crime spree angst of the period. SS was shown to countless young people of the time as a dose of tough love, ultimately winning an Oscar.

In it, a group of teen delinquents are taken into prison, where some hardened criminals discuss precisely what life in the big house is like. No vacation, as it turns out, and the kids look pretty dang scared as they get yelled at. The DVD for Scared Straight! 20 Years Later has filmmaker Arnold Shapiro catching up with all of the kids and crooks from the original, with fascinating results. Basically, this is a Seven Up-style sequel for the criminal set, and as each compelling tale unravels, we're eager to see the next subject to learn where they ended up. Finally, the hullabaloo surrounding this prison program wasn't mere hype: many of the kids, now pushing 40, credit it with steering them from a life of crime. » Matthew Hays