Netflix has a new number 1 reality show. However, this time isn’t about dating or work, it’s about jail. Yes. “Unlocked: A Jail Experiment,” a eight-part time reality series, has become the most watched show on the platform in the US, according to FlixPatrol.
Filmed in the H Unit of the Pulaski County jail in Arkansas; the series follows a six-week experiment conducted by Sheriff Eric Higgins, in which all the cells will be unlocked 24/7, and corrections officers will only be stationed right outside the unit.
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The experiment aims to determine whether detainees can effectively self-govern with reduced supervision. Also, one of its goals is to reduce fights among the inmates. Does this experiment succeed in reducing violence?
Sheriff Higgins explain ‘Unlocked: A Jail Experiment’
According to what Sheriff Higgins told Netflix Tudum, the “Pulaski County Regional Detention center is a direct supervision facility, which means the deputies are inside the unit with detainees.”
For Unlocked, Higgins says that he wanted to create an environment with less direct supervision, based on the model of their re-entry unit, which is for detainees who want help with their addiction or other problems.
Rather than simply opening doors, Higgins stresses the importance of dialogue and preparation before filming. “We talked to them about the possibilities, and about behavior. We gave them a list of responsibilities and [made] personnel available to them to ask more detailed questions,” he explained to Tudum.
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One thing that Higgins expects from the reality show, is that viewers will have more compassion. “In this country, we have a certain perception of someone who goes to jail — the assumption being that they’re guilty. But they deserve dignity. These individuals, they’re fathers, they’re uncles, they’re sons. People care about them… they’re not just a number.”
