Sheriff says ‘Scared Straight’ program helps troubled kids
Sheriff’s deputies pushed them against jail-yard fences and shoved them to the ground. They yelled and cursed within inches of their faces. They forced them to run for long periods, ignoring pleas for breaks, until some vomited.
Receiving this treatment: Kids and teens — one was 8 years old.
None of the children were in custody for breaking the law. But their unruly behavior had troubled parents, who had asked deputies to teach them a tough lesson.
Since its inception in 2013, hundreds of boys and girls have been sent to ’“Project S.T.O.R.M.,” a jail program in Chester County, S.C., that is designed to scare at-risk kids into better behavior....