Burned: The Consequences of Juvenile Arson

Consisting primarily of interviews with teenagers who are serving sentences for arson or arson-related crimes, this video will scare the bejeezus out of most adults who see it. Underscored by commentary from law enforcement officials, the teens' stories are horrific tales of the very serious, life-ruining consequences for those convicted of arson. Often beginning as pranks that get out of control, these crimes appear to be the result of peer pressure, the quest for "excitement" or "something to do," drinking and/or drugging, or just plain stupidity; rarely--or so it seems--do teenage arson crimes emerge as deliberate "hate" actions. (An African-American church in Tennessee was torched by teenagers looking for "something to do," not--apparently--to intimidate or inflict harm upon African-Americans specifically.) The teens' tales of woe are rife with descriptions of the horrors of prison life: theft, riots, physical discomfort and abuse, fights, loss of personal freedom/identity, etc. Unfortunately, these neat and presentable (if not appealing) teens are shown in spic-and-span surroundings, with little of the physical evidence of their woes onscreen, leading me to wonder whether this video would really "speak" to its intended audience. For a world where prison life is glamorized, comparatively speaking, by the likes of the HBO series Oz, this presentation is too sanitized to deliver its horrifyingly compelling message to its target audience--teenagers. Adults will react to its message far more viscerally. Recommended for use as supplemental material only. Aud: J, H, P. (M. Rechel)