Judge Reinhold got cast after having featured prominently in the box-office hit action-comedy Beverly Hills Cop - Un piedipiatti a Beverly Hills (1984).
Part of a cycle of American cop comedies that got made after the box-office success of Scuola di polizia (1984) except this movie replaced a police academy with a prison penitentiary and cops with inmates. The others in the wave were Scuola di polizia (1984)'s six sequels, F.B.I. agenti in sottoveste (1988), Reclute (1986), Scuola guida (1985), Un poliziotto fuori di testa (1986), Tutti a Naja (1986), Prigione modello (1985), Pattuglia di notte (1984) and Hollywood Vice Squad (1986). 'Moving Violations', the 'Police Academy' sequels and 'Combat Academy' (aka 'Combat High') were all from the makers of Scuola di polizia (1984), as was 'Doin' Time' (1985).
Final film as an actor for choreographer and National Dance Institute founder Jacques d'Amboise, who played August, and who also choreographed the movie, playing the film's director of the "Corps de Cops".
The movie was one of two back-to-back consecutive police comedies that were produced by Harry J. Ufland. The other being Scuola guida (1985).
One of the main movie posters for the film had the Judge Reinhold changing out of his police uniform in a phone box, referencing Superman.