The study focuses on case studies of three day-visit programs. The three case studies differed significantly in their approaches. One was an aggressive, confrontational project aimed at young offenders; another was an intensive but non- confrontational project that targeted car thieves; and the third was an education approach aimed at school children. Presentations generally consisted of descriptions of the dirty, depressing, and brutal nature of prison life. The inmates involved in the program tended to be serving long sentences, often for very serious offenses. They were apparently very enthusiastic and committed to diverting youth from crime. Youth who had not served custodial sentences apparently knew very little about prison life, with their only information coming from media images that tended to glamorize inmates and depict prisons as vacation camps. There was, therefore, potential for informing youth about the true nature of life inside British prisons. Other research has concluded that day visit projects for young offenders should constitute an integral part of a larger package of measures designed to prevent offending. There was little evidence of such integration in the projects studied. Although there is no convincing evidence from other research that similar projects in the United States have had an impact on reoffending, there is apparently potential for developing day visit projects that aim to educate youth about prison life rather than "scare straight." Recommendations are offered for improving day visit projects.