SHOCK TIME FOR OFFENDERS APPEARS TO WORK

It is called shock time, and the "shock" of spending 120 days in a Missouri prison seems to snap many offenders back to the straight and narrow.

Since 1981, Missouri judges have been allowed to sentence felony offenders to this option. The program works particularly well for first-time and young offenders. The felon can be tagged for a drug and alcohol program, a sex offender's program, a prison boot camp or the general prison population.

The boot camp program at the Farmington prison has racked up some impressive statistics. About 76 percent of the 261 people in the program completed it successfully, and only six have returned to jail. Also, 18 of the 19 prisoners who worked on their high school diplomas through the boot camp program passed.

This flexibility has allowed judges to give some felons a second chance. It appears this option can stop a mistake from becoming a way of life.