Earlier this month, Arkansas’ Pulaski County turned down and returned a $60,000 check sent by Lucky 8, the production company behind the Netflix docuseries “Unlocked: A Jail Experiment.” Pulaski County is where “Unlocked” was filmed, and Lucky 8 apparently intended the check as reimbursement for any costs the county incurred during production.
But in a letter sent alongside the returned check, county judge Barry Hyde wrote, “Pulaski County has no contract with Lucky 8. As such, Pulaski County must treat this check as an offered donation. Your donation is refused.”
This is not the first legal dispute to emerge surrounding the project, which took place at the Pulaski County Detention Center in 2023. Per Little Rock’s ABC affiliate Katv, the county’s quorum court in March issued an emergency ordinance requiring Sheriff Eric Higgins, who spearheads the “social experiment” depicted in the docuseries, to produce a report about the production of “Unlocked” — including...
But in a letter sent alongside the returned check, county judge Barry Hyde wrote, “Pulaski County has no contract with Lucky 8. As such, Pulaski County must treat this check as an offered donation. Your donation is refused.”
This is not the first legal dispute to emerge surrounding the project, which took place at the Pulaski County Detention Center in 2023. Per Little Rock’s ABC affiliate Katv, the county’s quorum court in March issued an emergency ordinance requiring Sheriff Eric Higgins, who spearheads the “social experiment” depicted in the docuseries, to produce a report about the production of “Unlocked” — including...
- 4/29/2024
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Concerned about high recidivism rates and the dismal conditions of the jails in the community he’d spent his career serving, Arkansas sheriff Eric Higgins had a bold idea: to transform incarceration at Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, via a social experiment that would offer the men within its walls a true alternative. The process is documented in Unlocked: A Jail Experiment, an eight-episode exploration of what happens when unit cells are unlocked for six weeks, and detainees create community and structure for themselves. The goal was to determine if more autonomy and less control in jails can lead to a more community-oriented living environment and better support one of the fundamental purposes of incarceration: discouraging people from committing future crimes.
“Pulaski County Regional Detention center is a direct supervision facility, which means the deputies are inside the unit with detainees,” Sheriff Higgins tells Tudum. The...
“Pulaski County Regional Detention center is a direct supervision facility, which means the deputies are inside the unit with detainees,” Sheriff Higgins tells Tudum. The...
- 4/17/2024
- by Tudum Staff
- Tudum - Netflix
What happens when a group of prisoners are left to govern themselves? That’s the question that Netflix’s new unscripted series Unlocked: A Jail Experiment asks. The eight-episode show follows dozens of inmates at a jail in Arkansas who are given greater autonomy (including unlocked cell doors), with some surprising results.
Since Unlocked: A Jail Experiment dropped on April 10, it’s shot to the No. 1 spot on the Netflix Top 10 chart. It’s also sparked some questions, including from viewers who are curious to know if the prisoners were compensated for being on the show.
What is ‘Unlocked: A Jail Experiment’?
Unlocked: A Jail Experiment follows 46 inmates who are behind bars at the Pulaski County Regional Detention facility in Arkansas. They’re participating in a unique experiment designed by Sheriff Eric Higgins where the cell doors in their unit are unlocked and deputies are moved out of the unit.
Since Unlocked: A Jail Experiment dropped on April 10, it’s shot to the No. 1 spot on the Netflix Top 10 chart. It’s also sparked some questions, including from viewers who are curious to know if the prisoners were compensated for being on the show.
What is ‘Unlocked: A Jail Experiment’?
Unlocked: A Jail Experiment follows 46 inmates who are behind bars at the Pulaski County Regional Detention facility in Arkansas. They’re participating in a unique experiment designed by Sheriff Eric Higgins where the cell doors in their unit are unlocked and deputies are moved out of the unit.
- 4/16/2024
- by Megan Elliott
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
If there's one thing more popular than true crime documentaries on Netflix, it's surely reality shows. The streamer has churned out a string of highly successful reality series, from "Love is Blind" to the controversial "Squid Game" reality show that was criticized for alleged "inhumane" conditions on the set. Now, the streamer has debuted its latest unorthodox take on the reality format with "Unlocked: A Jail Experiment," and it's another pretty controversial (and hugely popular) one from Netflix.
The show chronicles Arkansas sheriff Eric Higgins' radical approach to changing the conditions in Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility in Little Rock, Arkansas. That is to say that Higgins essentially handed over one unit of the county jail to its inmates. According to Tudum, "Unlocked: A Jail Experiment" is "an eight-episode exploration of what happens when unit cells are unlocked for six weeks, and detainees create community and structure for themselves." What could possibly go wrong?...
The show chronicles Arkansas sheriff Eric Higgins' radical approach to changing the conditions in Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility in Little Rock, Arkansas. That is to say that Higgins essentially handed over one unit of the county jail to its inmates. According to Tudum, "Unlocked: A Jail Experiment" is "an eight-episode exploration of what happens when unit cells are unlocked for six weeks, and detainees create community and structure for themselves." What could possibly go wrong?...
- 4/15/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Production has got underway on Irish producer Morgan O'Sullivan's E30m TV series 'Vikings' at Ashford Studios in Ballyhenry, Co Wicklow, with Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects) and Travis Fimmel (Tarzan) among the lead cast. Swedish director Johan Renck will helm the first three episodes with Ireland's Ciaran Donnelly (The Tudors) and Ken Girotti (Rescue Me) also attached. Other cast includes Jessalyn Gilsig (Glee), Gustaf Skarsgard (The Way Back), Clive Standen (Camelot), Katheryn Winnick (Bones), Eric Higgins (The Tudors) and Gerard McCarthy (The Fall).Key Irish crew include line producer Seamus McInerney, costume designer Joan Bergin and production designer Tom Conroy. Dee Corcoran is looking after hair while Tom McInerney is on make-up. Emmy award-winning cinematographer John Bartley (The X Files) is the director of photography.
- 7/9/2012
- IFTN
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