Unlocked: A Jail Experiment

Would have appreciated more background on the characters we are following through 8 full episodes. Multiple characters are shown in all 8 but never named, never explained. We follow them throughout the entire series with no information on their crimes, their time spent incarcerated already, their time left to serve.

Interesting idea but lacking the details. The personal details. The information needed to keep you invested in the people, the point of the series. Much left to be desired at the end as well as far as outcome. Seems a bit scripted in many scenes, definitely dramatized.

Better jail documentaries out there.

The sheriff of this prison wanted to make a change and he and all related staff spent months preparing to create a situation where inmates could actually benefit and improve themselves vs staying in a cell for 23/24 hours/day. This hopefully improved quality of life for both staff and inmates, they needed "a better way" to run the prison and that included hopefully making more productive future citizens once the incarcerated folks leave the prison. I highly commend the sheriff and staff's efforts. They discuss the "Older" vs "Juvenile" inmates. Randy, an Older one, had the foresight to try to encourage others to step up and play a role in making their open door and extended freedoms program work. The inmates saw consequences of not conforming and participating positively within their experimental cell block Community. This program allowed the inmates to practice being responsible which is a step toward being responsible in the real world and not resorting to old criminal ways but instead being open to new ways of handling things. I LOVED IT! Honesty if this type of program was available where I live I would volunteer to help it be successful.

I looked it up, at Pulaski prison they spend $18,250 per year to house a felon. That's about $50/day. That probably barely covers meals. In New York, it can cost as much as $162,000 per year. At Pulaski, they have 1-2 staff in the cell block, necessitating 23 of 24 hours/day of lockdown due to lack of staff. I had no idea that prisons had entire cell blocks on lockdown 23/24 hours/day (and I wonder if the 15 minutes per meal counts toward the 1 hour per day of getting to be outside of their cell. ) That would drive anyone insane, not being able to socialize, feel any freedoms or do any activities, or have any hope. This was not only a humane 'experiment', it should be a model for prisons going forward to help these folks who didn't have proper mentors or learning environments, or peers to get it right the first time before going into prison. Some people have a disabilities, if they find themselves in stressful prison settings without any attempt by their peers to better themselves, all will be stagnant or worse when they get out and then explode with the freedom. Freedom in prisons is a good concept when used to encourage proper behavior and adaptive skills that an be used positively in the community (or wherever they end up) going forward. Just sticking people in jails to rot isn't the answer; productive rehabilitative settings where people can learn from their life experience and improve themselves seems to be the way to go.

Watching this series brought out some glaring truths to me: both punishment and rehabilitation are what prison needs to be.

The hardest part of watching was seeing some of the men trying their best to become better men but not having the mental health support that they so desperately need. I'm sure the prison provides what it can, but without real change in the real world where mental health support should be available to everyone, then this will be an endless cycle. And the people holding the purse strings in Arkansas aren't willing to make changes at the prison for the better. This facility is only a county jail- yet it is being used to house inmates who are serving life sentences and have zero f's to give. Mixing a first time prisoner in with repeat offenders and those who will love their entire lives in jail is less than ideal.

As an Arkansan, I see firsthand how wide the disparities are between those who have and those who do not. Generational poverty, violence, drug abuse and more are running rampant everywhere. And do not fool yourself that everyone is getting an equal education.

If this look into a prison brought out any empathy, then please urge your lawmakers to support this sheriff and his staff as they try to balance punishment and rehabilitation in a novel way.

I just finished watching this show, and it's incredibly interesting on many levels.

It's amusing to see the transformation from initial skepticism- inmates believing "this isn't going to work"-to eventually taking responsibility, teaching others how to act, behave, and shape their identities.

Additionally, I have immense respect for everyone involved in making this documentary. The camera crew members were physically surrounded by inmates, risking their lives, yet the inmates showed respect and let them do their job.

The sheriff is a very good person. Often, people overlook the importance of empathy when dealing with inmates. Although inmates are incarcerated due to their actions, many are there because they lacked role models or were never taught the basic rules of society, leading them to commit crimes without considering the consequences.

Wow, hope this system can b used and implemented in all the prisons. What a fantastic change that was made by these men in real time/life. To see them get to change their ways by their own decisions was an epic change for prisons. Men coming away from prison with many new abilities that will help them survive on the "outside" and ability to handle conflicts and life. They come out with skills and some pride in themselves. What a fantastic idea, this comes from a mom of an offender who would have loved to see him come home with a skill and a decent personality, and the ability to make good decisions and get along with people.

Congratulations to Arkansas facility and hope they can get started to implement this system.