Netflix's Unlocked: A Jail Experiment is Real - and Now State Officials Looking Into It

Summary

• A new offbeat reality show has been released on Netflix.
• It follows the inmates of a detention center as they participate in a social experiment.
• Despite the altruistic nature of the plot, regional authorities are keeping a close eye on what is going on.

Netflix has produced many weird and sometimes downright ludicrous reality and variety shows. Take, for example, one of the most recent obsessions of global audiences, Love is Blind. For six seasons now, the producers have been actively trying to promote the idea that this is some kind of profound social experiment to stop judging people by their looks.

Of course, this hardly convinces anyone — viewers are well aware that this is a very mediocre but bizarre and hilarious show.

But recently, Netflix released another project that is not only presented as a social experiment, but actually seems to be one. The new series differs from many other unscripted shows in that the stakes are high for everyone involved, from the participants to the production crew. In addition, even though it was released just over a week ago, the authorities are taking an interest in the case because of the idea and its execution. See what the show is about and why it is so controversial.

What Is This New Series?

Correctional systems have been a hot topic for as long as human rights have existed. According to statistics, institutions are failing to cope with how to punish and treat criminals. And the main problem, of course, is the reintegration of these people into society, and the conditions in which a person serves their sentence also influence their subsequent choices in freedom.

So instead of the harsh conditions of constant supervision and tension, Sheriff Eric Higgins of the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, decided to conduct an experiment in which inmates would have a greater degree of autonomy and support from the local community.

That's the premise of a new Netflix reality show called Unlocked: A Jail Experiment. In the eight-episode show, members of the experiment lived for six weeks in a cell block with open doors and no interference from correctional officers.

'I want to humanize people. I want to empower people to have an impact on their culture, environment, and community. If you can do that on a micro level, in jail with people you don't care about or didn't initially care about, and if you take that with you when you go to the broader community, then maybe you realize that you are empowered, you can have a positive impact on your neighborhood, on your family,' Sheriff Higgins told THV11.

Controversies Surrounding the Show

The social experiment has a very altruistic background and many elements could be implemented in other facilities. However, the authorities are far from welcoming such a prospect, and therefore intend to conduct an investigation into how Netflix managed to get such a show filmed on prison grounds in the first place.

As a result, the Pulaski County Quorum Court issued an order in late March requiring the Sheriff's Office to explain and provide documents and agreements related to the series, including reimbursements and restitution.

However, Sheriff Higgins' project was supported by many civil rights organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

'We need to change because the system we're doing now is not working, building more prisons is not working, putting more people in jail is not working, because it's a revolving door but we can change the dynamic of jail on how people go and when they get released, that he won't come back. This is all because people shouldn't have to feel that they don't have no other choice, but jail,' Barry Jefferson, president of the Jacksonville NAACP said.

All 8 episodes of Unlocked: A Jail Experiment are available on Netflix.

Source: THV11.