Unlocked: A Jail Experiment

UNLOCKED: A JAIL EXPERIMENT is an eight-part docuseries that follows inmates in an Arkansas county jail as they're given more freedom outside of their cells to see how they behave. Sheriff Eric Higgins runs the Pulaski County Jail in Little Rock, Arkansas, where inmates are held in cells for 23 hours a day. In an effort to help male inmates understand that they can have better lives if they can behave appropriately in free society, he implements a six-week trial period that will keep the cells in H-unit unlocked 24/7, and station the corrections officers outside the pod. For the doors to remain open during this time period, the men must follow the rules, support each other, and work as a community. If they cannot, the experiment ends immediately. But H-unit houses the most dangerous inmates awaiting trial or post-sentencing transfer, which raises safety concerns among the jail staff. The dangers associated with the experiment are also highlighted by the personal stories shared by the inmates, many of whom are violent or career criminals. Keeping the doors open doesn't automatically eliminate the inmates' social hierarchies, drug habits, or aggressive behaviors, but Sheriff Higgins has faith that these inmates can make it work, and implement the open door policy long term. He also hopes that if folks in H unit can succeed at the exercise, it will lead to similar changes in other units.