the original was way more intimidating IMO ...
this show appears too soft ... granted, we're not shown EVERYTHING. I remember watching "scared straight" as a 13 year old in 1978 and I'll never forget it. First of all, the current series is edited way too much to really scare a viewer of the show ... things are implied, but never actually told ... or threatened. Hard to believe, but way back in 1978, they aired "Scared Straight" with a warning of adult theme and explicit language. Inmates were dropping "f-bombs" the whole time and explicitly telling the delinquents how they would be raped.
Secondly, the current program seems to focus on scaring them a little (not enough from what I've seen) and more time is spent on buddying up with them. It gives me a sense that the deliquents might even think they have a buddy on the inside to guide them if they end up in the prison. The original simply created an image of hell ... I don't recall the nice stuff.
Thirdly, the environment ... the original showed the filthy enviroment of the prison (i even think they showed a disgusting toilet) ... the men were sweaty, dirty thugs that generated a serious case of "I don't EVER want to go to a place like that". Everything on this show is too clean ... yeah, an inmate told someone how filthy the community toilet was, but everything shown on every episode was pristine.
The most intimidating prisoner so far, hands down IMHO, was the "Diablo" inmate in the women's prison ... based on looks alone. Maybe the hardcore inmates are too dangerous for this series, but I swear the convicts in the original were way more hardcore than what I've seen so far (I distinctly remember one guy missing an eye).
Great concept, I just wish they gave us a little more reality instead of the cleaned up family show they're currently presenting. I though the purpose of the show was to educate and scare teens from a life of crime, not just those teens filmed for the program. They need to ramp up the horror of prison a lot more ... considering all the other crap that is allowed on TV these days, I'm perplexed as to why the morality hammer has fallen on this show (no profanity, personal threats or pictures of a nasty environment). Coca Cola learned ... you don't mess with the original formula.