Banged Up Abroad

This is a very good program where people seem to actually learn from their mistakes and in a very extreme way. I like seeing how other prison systems work compaired to ours and this show does a good job portraying that. I also like to see how much time each person gets for what the smuggle, and in the end, they all seem to learn and grow from their experiences. Interestingly enough, if you smuggle from Mexico to America, you get ZERO time, no matter what you smuggle or how much. You are just sent back to repeat. Watch BorderForce USA: the wall, to see that in action. So to see how much time all these people get compaired to all those people getting no time for millions of dollars worth of Meth, Cocaine, and Fentanyl being smuggled over. It is kinda sad. At least these people learn a lesson after.

Early seasons were edge of the seat, dramatic climax every time. Seems now that it's simply words at the bottom "so and so was freed. Now back home." Ok... It's not a difficult part to make exciting. Add some dramatic music and have the prisoner say they got a visit...didn't know what was gonna happen...

Still a solid show though.

I am very impressed with the stories of those who have been "Locked Up Abroad". The interviews and recreations are excellent and give one a view of what can happen if you make a bad decision and think you can get away with it. Billy Hayes was the most prominent many years ago but far too many either never saw "Midnight Express" or simply never thought it could happen to them

They call it 'schadenfreude' - the dubious thrill of watching other people's misfortunes, sometimes spiced with a feeling that it could so easily have been you.

Banged Up Abroad touches this nerve every time, and brings it all close to home; you are watching people very like your own friends and neighbours, suddenly pitchforked into a shockingly unfamiliar jail environment among people quite unlike them.

The 'us and them' factor (or indeed the very word 'abroad') raises the spectre of racial imagistics, rather in the tradition of Bing and Bob in their Road films, though strictly it's cultural rather than racial. (As for how far culture is impacted by race, that is of course endlessly debatable.) But under the test, there is no doubt that a good-looking young white woman, however guilty, is always made unmistakeably aware of her high rank in this world.

The main theme, though, is the simple contest between goodies and baddies, the baddies being sharply divided between the chuckling drug-barons in their safe havens and the wretched mules, mostly little people who've been tempted by greed into situations they can't handle.

It is that slippery slope that creates the drama, part-tragic, part-comic. The false hopes raised by just one mention of a five-figure reward. The inducement of a tropical holiday break free on the house. The fleeting friendships between gang-members, that turn so easily to loathing and mutual recrimination. The bland assurances that nothing can go wrong...

Welcome to a world tour of luxury yachts, quayside cocktails, false-bottomed suitcases, money-laundering, murderous cartels, corrupt police, sniffer-dogs, dirty needles, lesbian rape, bed-bugs, the lot.

This is a very interesting series. I first saw some episodes five years ago, but recently after joining Netflix, I've watched a slew of newer episodes. The episodes have a lot of things in common with each other; nevertheless, each one has unique and interesting things as well. Each individual character is interesting in their own way. Furthermore, each story has its own interesting twists and turns. In a few episodes, I was skeptical of some story lines and details, but overall it's a great series. The production is very good, too.

This series should discourage people from trying to smuggle drugs overseas. Most of the individuals got caught up in the trade because they were young, naive, and just careless -- and, of course, the lure of lots of easy money. So, in addition to being entertaining, the series provides a public service to those who are considering thinking about drug smuggling. The series made me despise the higher level drug dealers who unashamedly and callously use amateurs to make them money. In many cases, these higher level scumbags purposely set up the amateurs to get caught.

Even though most of the episodes involve drug smuggling, some of them do not. In fact, one of my favorite episodes is about a guy named Glenn Hegstad, who has nothing to do with drugs, but is kidnapped by Colombian guerrillas. Anyway, I hope National Geographic produces more seasons of Locked Up Abroad.