Born Innocent

Inspired by Creighton Brown Burnham's same-titled book, this 1974 made-for-NBC movie followed the bestseller Go Ask Alice (and its TV adaptation) and shared a similar goal of terrifying impressionable young people into obeying the law, lest they too end up in jail (or worse). In director Donald Wrye's Born Innocent, 14-year-old Chris Parker (Linda Blair) enters a state home for girls after her sixth attempt to run away from home results in her parents (Richard Jaeckel, Kim Hunter) signing her over to the court. Chris doesn't make friends easily, and one night in the shower, she's the victim of a vicious sexual assault with a plunger handle (at the time, the scene was considered so shocking that syndicated versions omitted it—and it's still disturbing today). After that incident, Chris flees again but is caught and sent to isolation, where a sympathetic counselor (Joanna Miles) encourages her to open up. A home visit proves fruitless—Chris's father hits her, and her mother doesn't do anything—and Chris returns to the institution, where the overall situation eventually deteriorates to the point of revolt. Successfully making the case that the juvenile justice system is broken and its wards often end up in worse shape than when they went in, this no-holds-barred drama is recommended. (K. Fennessy)