LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — After premiering yesterday, Unlocked: A Jail Experiment is now the No. 1 on Netflix in the U.S.
The series focuses on an experiment implemented by Pulaski County Sheriff Eric Higgins, which lets inmates manage themselves without locks and guards.
With the show out, we contacted Higgins about the premiere and how successful the experiment was. We were told he would not do any interviews at this time.
However, there are others with first-hand knowledge regarding the jail system and how this experiment can have lasting impacts on inmates.
"The food is horrible," said Charles Benson, a former Pulaski County inmate. "Think of some of the worst places you've ever been. That's what jail is."
Benson was an inmate at the Pulaski County jail almost 20 years ago and said the situation hasn't improved much in recent years.
Faced with understaffing, Higgins unleashed the radical idea, but can the experiment go beyond TV and make a lasting impact on inmates? Benson said there's a chance.
"I think it will work," Benson said. It's something new, a new initiative, and you're giving men a chance to be trusted."
Trust is a driving factor of the experiment. As inmates do well with the new rules, they get rewarded with more benefits.
"I bet you most of those men in there will set an example and change somewhat positively from this program initiative," Benson said."
The documentary also addresses recidivism—how to keep inmates from returning to jail after they get out.
Benson worked with a program to help inmates get resources and skills to be successful in the world. He said it's all about supporting each other.
"Most people, when they get out of prison, don't have a good support system, and they go back to their old ways and tendencies," Benson said. "We have to create great support systems in their community, where peers who look like them and have successfully done it can help show them and influence them."
In addition to its success in the United States, streaming tracking sites show that Unlocked: A Jail Experiment is the No. 1 show in Canada and No. 3 in the United Kingdom and South Africa.