Scared straight. Thursday night youth across Mid-Michigan will be looking into the eyes of convicted criminals and talk with them. It's part of the state's prisoner re-entry initiative to show young people the results of bad choices and help them break the cycle of incarceration.

"I wanted attention and I wanted to be part of what everyone talked about. I wanted to feel important," said Dion Evans.

At 15-years-old Dion was on the wrong path.

"He was involved in drugs, involved in gangs, involved in alcohol," said Dion's father, Darryl.

His father grew up around drugs and crime and knew that wasn't the lifestyle he wanted for his son.

"He didn't want me in the street life or at the end of a bullet," said Dion.

"What I want him to see and hear is someone who regrets those choices and wishes they could go back in time," said Darryl Evans.

On Thursday Dion will have an up close and personal look at just where life could lead if he makes bad choices.

It's a prisoner panel, similar to last year's event in Kent County. The prisoners will be seen on a projection screen at Lansing Community College's Dart Auditorium where the youth and visitors will be gathered. They will be able to talk directly to the audience. This will be the second time in the history of the Michigan Department of Corrections where there will be a live broadcast from inside Bellamy Creek Correctional facility.

Nancy Oliver is the community coordinator for the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Program in Lansing that is sponsoring the event.

"If we can save one kid from making decisions that will ultimately negatively impact their lives -- that's my goal: one life," said Oliver.

William Savitskie is 39-years-old and he knows what these prisoners will be saying to the youth because he's been there.

"I was in prison since I was 18 and I've got about 15 years in and out," said Savitskie.

And his advice - "Open your eyes, open your mind and think before you say and do. Take 10 seconds and think before you do anything. Those 10 seconds can make all the difference."

It's that kind of life-changing experience Darryl Evans is looking for, for his son.

The programs starts at 4:30 p.m. in Dart Auditorium at Lansing Community College. For more information you can contact Nancy Oliver at (517) 492-5514, or noliver@camw.net