8 Young Celebrities We Grew Up Watching Who Ended Up Behind Bars

You might think that growing up in the spotlight would be difficult, but you would hope that having money at a young age would help set you up for a successful future. As we've learned over the years, that is not always the case.

As it turns out, being pushed into the spotlight and having people judge you while you go through puberty is apparently not all that good for you. Who would have guessed? Can you sense the sarcasm?

Going through this intense scrutiny at such a young age isn't really that great, and not everyone handles it as well as they should. Sure, there are of course going to be some kids who survive and thrive, but there are also many who have gone through a lot of issues over the years.

Many of your favorite former child stars have actually ended up in jail. Let's take a look and see who has been having a hard time.

Edward Furlong

After getting his start in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Furlong went on to launch a promising career. He was in American History X, Before and After, and American Heart, but then everything went wrong.

He had a controversial relationship when he was only 13 years old, when he moved in with a 26-year-old tutor. They were in what he called a "quasi-spousal relationship" until 1994 when the laws surrounding rape changed and it was then considered illegal. Furlong's guardian tried to sue the woman, but she countered with allegations of violent behavior and so nothing came of the rape charges.

The young actor started to struggle with drug addition and by October 2000 he checked himself into rehab. But his addiction continued to present an issue. His marriage to Rachael Bella ended because of his cocaine addiction.

His legal woes continued to get worse when he attacked his ex-wife and threatened her life. A restraining order was put in place, but he violated it and was sent to jail for two months.

He has however continued acting in very small roles, which makes sense because he has to pay child support.

Dana Plato

After playing Kimberly on Diff'rent Strokes for eight years, Plato had issues getting any traction in Hollywood. She made a few other movies but none of them seemed to take off.

In 1990, after getting a divorce, she moved to Las Vegas. She was struggling with unemployment and by 1991 she became desperate. She robbed a video store using a pellet gun, but the clerk recognized her and was able to ID her to the cops. She was actually caught 15 minutes later when she returned to the scene of the crime. Her robbery only got her $164.

She was sentenced to five years probation, but in 1992 she broke that by forging a prescription for Diazepam. She spent a month in jail before heading to rehab.

Her story continues to get more tragic, as she continued to struggle with addiction for the rest of her life. In 1999 she appeared on The Howard Stern Show where she discussed her past issues and claimed that they were behind her.

But the next day she was found in the back of her mother's Winnebago after overdosing on painkillers and muscle relaxants. Her death was ruled as a suicide

But they are not the only actors who have had issues with the law...

Brian Bonsall

Andy Keaton from Family Ties has had a bit of a rough few years. He moved to Colorado in the the late 90s and then started playing in a few different rock and punk bands.

However, he started having a few run-ins with the law. In 2004 he was arrested for drinking and driving, in 2007 he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend, and then in 2010 he was arrested for possession of marijuana.

Amy Locane

After starring on Melrose Place's first season, Amy Locane went on to have a fairly full career. She made a lot of TV movies and was in quite a few films, but in 2010 she made a decision that would change her life forever.

Locane got behind the wheel while intoxicated and caused a fatal crash in New Jersey. She hit a car while driving over 50 miles per hour, and caused the death of the female passenger and injured the male driver.

She was found to have a blood alcohol level of over three times the legal limit and was charged with vehicular homicide and assault by auto. She was sentenced to three years in jail, which was less than the minimum sentence. She got a reduced sentence because of her daughter's medical condition but also because it was found that she wouldn't be considered a threat to society.

There are still more child stars who went on to commit dangerous crimes...

Dustin Diamond

We all knew him as Screech from Saved by the Bell, but he has been having a lot of troubles over the years. He has had a lot of issues when it comes to his taxes, but his most notorious crime actually occurred in 2014.

While at a bar, Diamond pulled a switchblade out and stabbed a man during a fight. He was convicted of carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct, but managed to avoid the charge for recklessly endangering public safety.

He was sentenced to four months in prison, but he only served three before being released on probation.

Jamie Waylett

We weren't prepared for the fact that one of Draco Malfoy's buddies was going to be a bad guy in real life. Jamie Waylett played Vincent Crabbe in the Harry Potter franchise, but you'll notice he was missing from the 7th and 8th movies. That's because he was busy with legal issues.

Waylett was arrested after he participated in the London riots in 2011, and was charged with violent disorder after they discovered he had a petrol bomb in his possession. He had previously had charges against him for growing marijuana in his house.

Jake Lloyd

He got his start acting opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in Jingle All The Way, and would go on to play young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, but after that he seemed to disappear from the public eye.

He hated being a child star. "Other children were really mean to me. They would make the sound of the light saber every time they saw me," he said. "It was totally mad. My entire school life was really a living hell ... and I had to do up to 60 interviews a day. I've learned to hate it when the cameras are pointed at me."

He was staying out of the spotlight until 2015 when he was arrested following a high-speed chase in South Carolina. In 2016 he was reportedly "moved from a jail cell to a psychiatric facility" to be treated for schizophrenia.

It's sad to know that there are so many kids who end up in bad situations after getting their start, but I guess the cost of fame can be pretty high...

Source - Colorado Daily / Daily Mail / Vh1