Lucy Owens (Jocelyn Britton) and her friend Claire (Bernice Swanson) burgle some jewellery from a mansion but are disturbed by the butler who recognises Lucy as a former employee. Claire knocks him out so they can make good their escape.
Knowing she will soon be arrested, Lucy gives all the jewellery to Claire for safekeeping until she eventually gets released but keeps a diamond bracelet for herself.
Later, in a local club, Lucy encounters her musician ex-boyfriend Tom (John Charlesworth) talking to a pretty and respectable young lady named Ann Turner (Jill Ireland) and becomes extremely jealous. So Lucy slips the diamond bracelet into Ann’s coat pocket and when she is arrested, she tells the police that Ann was her accomplice.
Ann denies the charges of robbery with violence but is found guilty and sent to a women’s reformatory for three years along with Lucy.
Although Ann is treated well by the Matron (Joan Haythorne), she is subjected to sadistic abuse by the brutal head warden named Miss Smith (Ellen Pollock). A fellow prisoner called Mary (Sheila Whittingham) becomes Ann’s only friend and ally but, after a run-in with Miss Smith, hangs herself.
Meanwhile, Ann’s father and Tom set about trying to clear her name.
Produced by Edward and Harry Danziger, this watchable British exploitation quickie is incongruously shot in extremely pretty Technicolor. Shameless recyclers of their own material, the Danzigers reshuffled elements of So Young, So Bad (1950), Sentenced for Life (1960) and Man Accused (1959) to create So Evil, So Young.
Ann Turner
Jill Ireland
Miss Smith
Ellen Pollock
Tom Hanks
John Charlesworth
Lucy Owens
Jocelyn Britton
Matron
Joan Haythorne
Jane
Olive McFarland
Mr Turner
John Longden
Mary
Sheila Whittingham
Inspector
Colin Tapley
Sam
C. Denier Warren
Claire
Bernice Swanson
Dear Old Moran
Otto Diamant
Butler
Alastair Hunter
Edna
Gwendolyn Watts
Sandra
Sandra Alfred
Eve
Eve Eden
Jill
Gillian Watt
Carol
Carole Lorimer
Irene
Irene Barrie
Rose
Rosemary Rotheray
Director
Godfrey Grayson