CHESTER, S.C. -- A one-of-a-kind "Scared Straight" program in Chester County is earning national attention, and changing the lives of hundreds of children.
Four years ago, Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood started project S.T.O.R.M.
The "Showing Teens Our Real Mission" program has now helped more than 450 children. So far, Underwood says, only 7 have had to come back.The program is the only one on the country where the kids actually spend the night in the jail.
Underwood says, that's what really hits home.
"When they look at mom and dad through the glass and see them leave, that's when it hits them," Underwood said.
During their 24 hours in jail, the kids are subjected to a grueling workout, intense encounters with guards and inmates, and prohibited from having many of the comforts of home.
"Most kids think it's cool to go to prison. They think it makes them a man to go to prison," Underwood says. "We're trying to show them the real side of prison."The program has already been featured on the A&E network. This week, Steve Harvey featured it on his show.
Underwood says he is now holding programs at least once a month. A new, even more intense version of S.T.O.R.M will put troubled teens behind bars for two nights.