It’s no secret that the industrial prison complex is one of the most egregious aspects of American society. This fact is a focal point in Netflix’s (alleged) reality series, Unlocked: A Jail Experiment.
Prison conditions are so reprehensible that the facilities are less about rehabilitation and more about punishment. But in one prison, they decided to do something different. Sheriff Eric Higgins was the mastermind behind a social experiment at the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Over 8 episodes, Unlocked: A Jail Experiment follows the prisoners as they are allowed to walk freely around unlocked cells. This endeavor is an effort to encourage community and a sense of freedom – something that convicts are restricted from in prisons across America. Higgins spoke to Tudum about the conditions of the prison.
“Pulaski County Regional Detention center is a direct supervision facility, which means the deputies are inside the unit with detainees. We thought, ‘What can we do to create some ownership for those detainees in that unit? How do we make the facility safer, and what can we do to still hold them accountable but empower them at the same time?’ ”
The deputies of the prison would now be posted outside the unit. Prisoners were also given more agency to make decisions in their community and given benefits as rewards for good behavior. But no matter how well-intentioned this new program was, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the series is crossing a line.
Forbes noted that many outlets have questioned the ethics of televising such a program. Even though these types of prison reform are necessary, putting it in front of a Netflix audience as entertainment seems opportunistic. It calls into question if this experiment will be a success and if it even merits a second season.
Will Unlocked: A Jail Story have a second season?
As of this writing, any plans to continue the reality series are up in the air. Per Fox 16, the Justice of the Peace passed an ordinance compelling Higgins to provide “any copies of any agreements signed, any lists of reimbursements and compensations that came from filming, as well as questions regarding who knew this was taking place when it happened and more.”
This ordinance has not officially impacted a second season of the series from being greenlit yet, but that doesn’t mean it won’t. This kind of pushback against a series could severely impact Netflix’s interest in moving forward with the series. Or the controversy may increase their subscriptions. As for the future of the series, viewers will have to wait and see what becomes of the reality show. All episodes of Unlocked: A Jail Experiment are available to stream on Netflix.