Original subtitles

[siren wailing]

[reporter 1] An already bursting jail

and prison system becoming more problematic.

[reporter 2] A violent fight. The old state prison in Draper.

[reporter 3] Video tonight of two Rikers Island correction officers being attacked.

[narrator] Jails in America are violent and understaffed...

[reporter 4] The jail at its breaking point.

Two officers watching nearly 300 inmates.

[narrator] ...which means inmates are locked down for up to 23 hours a day.

[reporter 4] A huge problem? The violence.

[narrator] But things are only getting worse.

[reporter 1] In the past three months, there were five assaults.

[reporter 5] Inmates being beaten, stabbed, or even killed.

[reporter 3] At least five homicides at this prison alone.

[officer] Enough is enough.

We need help. We need change, and we need it now.

[narrator] That's why this sheriff is willing

to risk it all on a new radical idea.

There's people who think what you need is just to be locked behind a door.

That's not helping. That's what this is about.

[narrator] No locks and no officers.

We're gonna open up all the doors.

And the deputies are gonna stay out of the unit.

Really?

And let y'all be a community.

[laughing]

Time out!

[narrator] Treat the inmates like responsible adults...

[inmate] You treat 'em like animals.

You treat 'em like a fucking caged animal.

[narrator] ...and they'll behave like responsible adults.

-We're gonna ride on these guards. -We're gonna ride on 'em and kill 'em!

[narrator] That's the theory, at least.

[upbeat music playing]

♪ I got nothing left... ♪

I'm making this decision. My name's on the line.

♪ ...nothing left to lose... ♪

[narrator] And this sheriff is betting his reputation on it.

I need y'all to prove to me that I'm right about what this can be.

♪ Got nothing left to lose ♪

Wow!

Y'all in the ride for y'all life now.

[theme music playing]

[inquisitive music playing]

[banging]

[indistinct yelling, whistling]

[narrator] In H Unit, the experiment has not yet begun,

and the inmates have no idea that in less than a week,

they'll be part of the jail's innovative program.

[indistinct chatter]

[inmate] These niggas too damn old to be crying like bitches.

They be crying like fucking girls.

We be crying like what?

-Some girls, bro. -You act like a bitch and a girl.

Don't never disrespect me no more.

[narrator] They've just been let out after 23 hours behind locked doors.

Tempers run high, and conflict can erupt over even the smallest perceived slight.

Nigga, apologize!

[pensive music playing]

-[inmate] Come in. -[inmate 2] Guilty.

-You guys, don't move. -Comin' in. They're comin' in.

405, upstairs, guys.

Come down and eat.

-[inmate] What are we gonna talk about? -[inmate 2] Let me talk and I'll explain.

[inmate 3] You just brung six more peoples in here.

A whole barrack full of fuckin' hardheads?

It's gonna be hectic, man.

[inmate 4] Got a rat. Got a rat in here.

Get the fuck away.

I can't believe you.

After everywhere we've been together, you fucking think it's me.

I ain't no fuckin' rat!

[inmate 5] Stay the fuck away from me.

Don't come over here around this table.

I'll do whatever the fuck I wanna do.

-Shit, no, you ain't. -Okay.

No, you ain't, and I'll come and smash you if you come over.

I don't care about your funky ass.

-You ain't wanna do shit anyway. -Bitch-ass motherfucker. Go on.

I'll beat your ass right now, bro. You know I will. You know I will.

[music intensifies]

Come on, step out here.

Step out here, bro. Step out here.

[tense music playing]

[whistle blows]

[officer] Hey! Everybody, lock it down!

Hey, everybody, by your doors! Back up in the cells!

[whistle blows]

Calm down!

You do this same shit! This motherfucker every goddamn day!

[inmate] Wait!

[door slams]

[music fades out]

[man] We're here in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility.

My name is Eric Higgins.

This is my fifth year.

I'm starting my second term here as sheriff.

So, H Unit, you know, it's a true reflection of the facility.

Most of 'em are waiting to go to trial.

Some of 'em have gone to trial,

they've been sentenced,

and they're waiting to go to prison to start their time.

But we're not holding really low-level offenders.

These are all felons,

from drug charges,

burglaries,

robberies, battery,

homicide.

They're people charged with serious crimes.

[banging] Still stuck behind this door.

[Higgins] Oftentimes you're locked for 23 hours. You're in your cell.

So that tension builds up.

Then when you walk out and engage with someone else,

it creates conflict.

[officer] Keep your hands... on the wall!

[Higgins] When you have the conflict and there's a fight or something,

you're not doing what the deputy is instructing you to do,

then the end result is,

"Everybody back in your cell, and you're on lockdown."

Shit.

'Cause this shit here fucked up.

[Higgins] I'd say, "We gotta do more."

"There's something we've gotta do. We can't continue on this cycle."

I'm trying to do something different.

[narrator] H unit is on the precipice of a unique experiment

that will last for six weeks.

A network of 19 cameras,

separate from the jail surveillance system...

What's up, class?

...has been installed throughout the day room and in many of the cells.

Them cameras rolling, though. They watching everything.

[narrator] And a crew will document the sheriff's unprecedented efforts

to improve his jail.

Oh, hell yeah. Hell yeah. I've always wanted to do that.

[narrator] Right now, the inmates are aware of the documentary,

but haven't yet been told about the experiment itself.

Motherfucker finna get served!

[Higgins] Soon we're gonna open the doors.

We're going to move the deputy outside the unit.

The detainees will have six weeks to prove that they can act more like people

and not criminals.

If this program is successful,

it may mean that even though someone's been in jail,

been arrested several times, even of a violent crime,

they'll realize that there's a better way to do things.

And if this can work in H Unit, then I can move to the next phase

and start looking at other units as well.

And we can try to make this the culture,

the environment of this facility.

[door slams]

But I am definitely concerned.

There are people charged with more serious crimes.

So, what's really gonna happen?

How are they really gonna behave in there?

[determined music playing]

[inmate] I mostly do this shit right here.

I'll probably dread it up. Usually have this shit all the way right.

We keep this shit right too.

We players in here. We gotta have our shit right, you know?

It ain't too much you can do in here.

I know somebody's always watching. We gotta keep ourselves up.

I definitely gotta be in, know what I'm saying? Real pretty boy, man.

Not just your average gangster, but a real pretty boy.

[chuckles]

♪ In your book, I be the crook ♪

♪ But you look awfully good on me ♪

♪ Baby, baby, baby ♪

♪ You look awfully good on me ♪

My name is Krisna Piro Clarke, and everybody know me as Tiny.

I'm a small dude. I'm 5'3".

I've been small all my life, so this the kind of name I picked up

from former gang members or whatever

'cause I was always the smallest person in the crew.

I remember I was, like, eight years old.

I got this big pocketknife from my old, big cousin, man.

And I went over to the eastside.

I see the big boys up there on the porch. They was trying to play baseball.

I'm like, "Hey, can I play?"

They say, "No, you're too small."

I can remember this big cat, man.

He threw this plastic football as I was walking off the porch.

Hit me on the back of my head.

I made the decision then that nobody was gonna put their fucking hands on me

or pick on me.

I didn't give a fuck who or how big you were.

Pop my knife out and hit a couple times with this motherfucker.

I watched him start squirting.

Turned around and walked the fuck off.

Man, shit.

I've been stabbing motherfuckers ever since.

Yeah.

My charges are aggravated robbery and 1st degree battery.

I've been in and out of jail since I was 19 years old.

But in this motherfucker right here? It's hard as fuck.

23 and 1 is keep your ass locked down all day.

You only come out for just a hour. That's it.

You fucking just sit in here. You know what I'm saying?

So, it's real hard to be in a cell for 23 hours a day.

You're fucking angry, and you got so much shit built up in you.

You know?

Yeah, it kind of fucking drives you, man.

♪ Get up ♪

[bass music playing]

Well, I do have a few things I do want to talk about.

You know, preparing for this, it was a process.

To work through it and meet, and we addressed everything

and meet again and it's like, "We didn't think about this."

So it took several months,

but this is my last meeting before we move forward.

And it's so important that they tell me

if they have concerns

because we're moving forward after this.

So, we're going to do a change in H Unit.

Try a little project.

For six weeks,

unlock the doors to the unit's individual cells.

We're gonna remove the deputy, put him outside,

adding some responsibilities for the inmates.

[curious music playing]

I'd say what we house are the worst of the worst.

Aggravated robbery, rape, murder, capital murder.

So I was a little bit concerned about that.

So with the deputy not being in the unit,

what are the big issues we're gonna have to look at?

-There will be several pod bosses. -Mm-hmm.

If you're trying to develop that type of community.

-Somebody is gonna take control. -[woman] Mm.

Somebody is gonna be stronger,

and that somebody is gonna use

whatever tactics they feel like they need to take.

[officer] Makeshift shanks.

You know, we're not gonna be in there as we would.

They can make a shank in no time.

Shakedowns should be able to occur whenever we want them to occur.

You know, just to kind of keep them on they toes.

One thing to think about

is what we're trying to do.

We'll be doing shakedowns and everything else every three hours,

then we might as well not do this.

[Freeman] Mm-hmm.

I'm just saying, let's find that balance between the security and the safety

and the environment that we're trying to create.

If these detainees can take some control,

they'll make a safer jail and maybe less crime when they get out.

So that's the goal.

We're tasked, you're tasked with trying to make this happen

and happen in a safe way.

Before we do this, we need to do a sweep.

A shakedown needs to happen for the safety of this facility.

We have to thoroughly search H Unit to confiscate anything dangerous

before we open these doors.

All right. I appreciate you guys.

-[Freeman] Yes, sir. -Thank you.

My name's on the line.

I mean, I'm the sheriff. I'm making this decision.

That's a risk I'm taking.

[Freeman] I'm always up for trying something different

to see if it's going to work.

But leaving the inmates alone... Oh shit.

It's kind of scary. They could create some type of riot situation.

That would be one of the worst-case scenarios.

We get a lot of individuals that come in and just don't want to do right.

[narrator] Before the sheriff can begin the experiment,

his team will have to find and remove anything that could be used as a weapon,

as well as contraband such as hooch, drugs, or makeshift tattoo kits.

He did this.

This one. He did this one and this one.

He's my tattoo man.

You probably ain't gonna see no cellies as comfortable as us.

[producer] Looks like you got a cut on your hand?

-[inmate] Yeah, he stabbed me. -[inmate 2 laughs]

Yeah, he stabbed me.

Piece of shit.

We had a shank battle, bro.

[rock music playing]

My name's John McCallister. They call me Eastside.

I've been in jail... 14 times.

So, ever since I was 19,

I've been in and out of jail, you know what I mean?

My charge now is possession of drugs with a firearm.

All I've been around is criminals.

I've never even had a driver's license,

but I've been fucking in high-speed chases and some worse shit, know what I mean?

I love the adrenaline-rush high, knowing you could get caught.

When I was 19, I robbed a pet store.

I'm getting super ready for this shit. I'm getting high.

Doing meth and doing pills,

and I take a hit of acid,

and they got these cool-ass $500 little snakes.

I hit the door with the fucking hammer.

I go in, grab the pillowcase

using my hand... to fucking punch out the cages

like I'm some kind of fucking superhero or some shit.

I got a pillowcase full of snakes.

And I got one wrapped around me, big as fuck.

And a fucking iguana in my hand.

So I'm, like, coming out the hole, and I see the fucking cop.

I'm like, "Oh shit."

And I fucking turn around so fast, I must've scared the iguana

'cause this motherfucker bites my fucking dick.

I got this fucking big-ass snake, and there's a fence.

A big-ass fence.

I'm starting to climb the fucking fence.

And this fucking snake starts tightening up on me.

I'm like [wheezing].

Fall off the fence. I couldn't even breathe.

And I'm like... [groans]

And... [chuckles]

And I'm just laying on the ground.

Fucking cops are like, "Don't move!" I'm like, "I can't!" You know what I mean?

[chuckles]

You see this? This is a wing, and I took him under it.

He's like, "Come be my celly!"

So, I'll be his celly.

I get in there, I'm thinking he setting me up.

So I'm sitting here like paranoid as fuck.

-I didn't know he's never tried deuce. -Yeah.

But I'm in there so fucking high.

I'm on the toilet, I'm like...

It was so weird.

Like, he was having a full episode.

I stood up, but I didn't know I was standing.

It was some fucked up shit.

I've been using meth... since I was eight.

I could be sober. You know what I mean?

As long as I got people that are, like, sober around me.

People get drugs in here.

If it's like everybody's doing 'em around me,

when shit's getting hard, I'm like, "Fuck it." That's what I know best.

And, like, I mean, this is the worst jail I've been in so far.

These motherfuckers here,

the police here, they don't give a fuck.

Like, the shakedowns we got going on all the time.

That's pretty fucking weird.

[sinister music playing]

♪ We on a mission to find 'em... ♪

[Freeman] All right. Y'all ready?

♪ Try to block our steps We keep climbin' ♪

♪ We out, we on assignment ♪

♪ In the dark of the night We stay shining ♪

♪ We out, we on assignment ♪

♪ No matter the kind, we ride it ♪

♪ We out, we on... ♪

[continues indistinctly]

[Higgins on radio] 208 to central control.

Before we do this, we have to make sure we have a safe unit.

[officer] Hold it there.

[Higgins] I need to make sure this is a safe and secure facility.

[officer 2] Need code 2A facility.

[officer 3 on PA] Attention, all units. Code 2A in the facility.

[officer 2] I'm turning it over to you, Team Leader,

and we're gonna go ahead and enter the unit.

[officer 4] Everybody, outside the doors! Stand by your doors!

[inmate] Fucking knew it.

[inmate 2] Shakedown?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

-Hey guys! Everyone on their feet! -[officer 3] Just pop it.

[inmate] Damn, man!

[officer 4] On the walls! Beside your cell door!

[officer 5] Come out! Come out! Come out!

Keep your hands on the wall!

Do not speak while we are in here!

-Heard that? -[whispering] Oh shit! Block the door.

-What did they say? -Block that for me!

[doors buzz]

[Ty] Hey!

[whispers] Shut up!

-I'm tryin' to hide some shit. -[Ty] Hurry!

-Cops are already here. -[Ty] Oh.

[Eastside] Duh!

[officers yelling indistinctly]

During the shakedown, I definitely had shit.

[tense music playing]

I got fucking paranoid 'cause I know somebody finna tell on some shit,

so I... floom. Threw it in the toilet, flushed it.

[Eastside] Ty's nervous as fuck.

He's never done this type of shit, you know what I mean?

Eastside, he's really, like, paranoid as fuck.

But he really just penitentiary.

He's been in the pen a lot, you know what I'm saying?

[tense music continues]

[officer] Keep your hands on the wall.

Do not speak while we are in here.

[Freeman] So right now, we want to just go in, hit it hard,

do a full complete unit shakedown

of every individual, every cell, every mat.

Somebody's hands will touch everything.

Just to make sure that we get all the contraband out of there

and minimize the risk factor once the doors open up.

[officer] Get it out!

[officer 2] He's had stuff before. We know that.

I'm looking for contraband.

[Tiny] They comin' in there shaking us down.

The lieutenant telling them to make sure you get everything.

Okay, y'all can come up three, four motherfucking times.

I know I ain't got shit.

[tense music playing]

[Tiny] They take the shit that you need, man.

If they can't find something, they take that shit anyway.

They don't give a fuck.

They don't care.

[officer] We're gonna have all the doors popped,

and so it's really important to take items

that could be used as a weapon. Bottles, deodorant bottles that are empty.

The shampoo should have shampoo in it. If it doesn't have shampoo, we take it.

[officer 4] What's up? What's up, man?

[officer 5] I think it's something metal taped up. Could be a pipe-type thing or...

Maybe it's a weapon.

-Yeah, okay. -Yeah.

What cell?

401?

They're from the same cell when they shook it down.

We found a couple of things of hooch, and we found a makeshift shank.

[Owens] Yeah, it is a little bit terrifying.

Once the doors are open,

I just feel like it's gonna be a shit show.

[officer] I did not think this was gonna go smoothly.

Making sure that nothing goes wrong, or they are safe, I'm safe.

[Owens] I hope I'm wrong,

but really, like, they're not used to the doors being open

and not having a deputy in here to hold them accountable.

To tell you the truth, I don't even care. I don't even give a fuck.

I don't give a fuck about none of this shit.

I'm at my breaking point anyway. I don't give a fuck.

Man, they took my soap. That's crazy.

Damn.

It raises the temperature.

That's why when people come out,

they be so eager to be angry. You know what I'm saying?

A motherfucker ready to fight, got some steam built up.

All type of shit. You know? Because of this shit.

[rock music playing]

[Ty] Damn!

Just like the pen, dawg.

[Eastside] They just fuckin' ransacked my shit.

I've been in this jail a year.

I know, like, the little ins and outs,

so definitely hid the contraband.

They didn't even take the contraband that's in my lid.

[Ty] I don't think they took really anything.

Besides my virginity.

-Yeah, they didn't find nothing on us. -They didn't find nothing.

I still have all my tattoo stuff, still got everything.

Player central.

-Woop woop. -Woop woop woop.

Yeah.

[suspenseful music playing]

Sheriff, we were able to get some things out of there.

[Higgins] Sounds like y'all got a lot of stuff out.

Yes, sir. We did.

So what have we done with the individual that had the shank?

-We immediately moved him out. -[Higgins] Okay.

We took him out.

[Higgins] I'd love to have a facility with no shanks,

but that's just the reality of a jail,

and I'm hoping to go to a different reality.

So, we've done the shakedown. We've made a safe unit,

and now I'm gonna go in and tell the detainees

what we're getting ready to do.

-[Freeman] I'm glad we found it. -[Higgins] Well, yeah.

-Before the doors opened. -Right.

[narrator] The inmates are unaware that in just a few days,

their lives will change completely.

For now, they're still living the same routine.

Oh! This is gonna be good.

[officer] Randall!

-[Randy] Okay. -Come over here.

[Randy] Okay.

[officer] I called... I called you four times.

Yeah, but I had to get the crew up.

They're the ones I use with trays. Gather them up.

[officer] The lower level eat first.

They'll sit down, eat, they have 15 minutes.

Then the upper level comes out. Same thing, same procedure.

They sit down, 15 minutes, they go back up.

All right, look out, lower level! Look out, lower level!

Step outside your doors. Get ready to eat!

[narrator] Most of the inmates get only one hour per day outside of their cells.

-[inmate] One bread? -[Randy] One bread.

[narrator] But the few who work jobs

are allowed more freedom and certain privileges.

The unit deputy picks their own cleanup.

I picked the cleanup that I know is gonna be productive,

that's going to work hard.

I like Randall as a cleanup.

He's a good help. He's a good worker.

Y'all have ten minutes left to eat. Ten minutes left to eat.

Ten minutes.

Run over the trays, wash the tables, Saturday get the laundry.

That's my routine.

This is a hard, hard, hard responsibility. That's the reason why I took it.

[bluesy music playing]

My name is Randy Randall

from North Little Rock, Arkansas,

and they went from calling me

Northside Randy to True Story.

They said, "This is the True Story show."

Straight to the point. True story.

True story.

-Ain't shit, bro. -True story!

True story. I'm cool.

Man, I'm just being for real.

And I still don't get it, but I guess it is a true story.

I was messin' around with drugs, experimentin' drugs.

I lost everything.

And here I am, sitting up in here. Sometimes I be wantin' to just snap.

I've been to jail, like, nine times.

I was locked up for seven years in the penitentiary.

I don't want to experiment no drugs no more ever in my life.

Excuse me, Mama, but fuck that shit.

It scared me.

Mama, you didn't see that.

But I don't wanna experiment no drugs no more, ever.

Come on out. Close your doors!

Come on out!

I like this... I like this group.

I like everybody in here.

You know what I'm saying? We come together as one.

I don't cause a lot of problems around here anyway.

I try to solve more problems than I cause.

'Cause I hate confrontation.

[Wainwright] When we get finished, the trays are stacked up on the cart.

Some inmates will go to the cart and pick and eat,

but for health reasons, we're not allowed to let them do that.

[Wainwright] Don't do that no more.

-[Tyler] What? -[Wainwright] Don't do that no more.

[Tyler] The fuck does it matter if I eat leftovers?

[Wainwright] Say what?

[Tyler] I said what the fuck does it matter if I eat leftovers?

[Wainwright] Don't tell me about, "What the fuck?"

Next time you disrespect me and do that, you gone!

[Tyler] I didn't disrespect you.

If you got disrespected by that, that's sad.

[Wainwright] Shut that door!

[Tyler] Sorry, bitch.

You guys are as ignorant as the rest of 'em.

Tyler disrespected Miss Wainwright in front of everybody in here.

You don't ever touch nobody's meals, ever.

Put your hands on nobody's trays.

Always respect.

I'mma be frank with you. I don't like him.

I do not.

Hey, let me tell you something. And I want you to really listen to me.

Don't ever disrespect that old woman like that again.

-[Tyler] Hold on. -No, hold on. Listen.

-[Tyler] Hey, True Story, hold up. -Listen.

[Tyler] Tell me. Before you get started! How did I disrespect her?

-That old woman right there. -[Tyler] How did I disrespect her?

I'll talk to you later.

He got all uptight about it.

To me, it's disrespectful.

That's gonna push buttons.

True Story! Come talk to me!

I don't like nothing about him.

I don't like his attitude, I don't like his characteristic.

I don't like nothing about him.

He's poison.

Tyler is poison.

Karma come back and get him.

[peppy music playing]

[Higgins] Today's the day I let the detainees know about the program.

Be interesting to see what they have to say.

I know there's risk involved, but I'm comfortable at this point

to continue moving forward.

[pensive music playing]

[Freeman] Hey, listen up, fellas.

Everybody upstairs, come to your doors.

[doors buzz open]

Hey, listen up, fellas.

Come on out. Secure your doors behind you.

[inquisitive music playing]

Everybody make sure if you got a celly, make sure he's up and he's out.

It's gotta be something exciting.

I don't know.

[Ty] When the sheriff walks in, I'm like, "Oh fuck."

He clean as fuck, first off.

-Second off, it's just not good at all. -[laughs]

It's not good at all.

He only speaks if he has to speak on some shit.

Oh, fuck.

All right, fellas. Right now we have the sheriff in here.

He's about to give you guys a little spiel on what's about to happen.

Appreciate it, Lieutenant.

Y'all good?

Yes, sir.

How many of you guys love being on lockdown 23 to 1?

Nobody.

Okay.

Y'all think we can improve the... how we do things here?

[Randy] Yes, sir.

Now, I know it's hard... y'all being here together.

I'mma ask a question. How many of y'all planned on

being in the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility

at the same time? Y'all made some arrangements,

and so y'all scheduled things to be here together?

-Anybody? -[indistinct chatter and laughter]

[Higgins] Nobody. Okay.

So one of the things we want to work on is that you don't come back, okay?

'Cause I'm sure nobody wants... whatever happens, wherever you go,

you don't want to come back to jail.

A lot of times, society, we can think what you need.

And let me say this to you, gentlemen.

There's people who think what you need is just to be locked behind a door.

And then when you get out, you better do better.

That's not helping.

How can we help you? That's what this is about.

So what I'm looking at doing is doing something a little bit different

in this facility,

starting in this unit.

So, what I'm looking at doing, open up all the doors.

[dramatic percussive music playing]

You'll have the ability to come in and out of your cell.

But having the deputy step out as well.

And let y'all be a community.

[laughing]

Time out! Time out.

[laughing and chatter]

Listen. There are still rules in here.

[Randy] Yes, sir.

-[Higgins] This is still a jail. -Yes, sir.

It's all gonna depend on how y'all operate and work together.

That's right.

Now, you think y'all can handle the doors being open?

[inmates] Yes, sir.

It's gonna take all y'all working together and caring about each other.

This is an experiment.

I'm looking at doing this for several weeks.

And if y'all prove to me that it can't be done in 30 minutes,

then we done.

If this unit can run smoothly

without any fights, without any contraband,

with y'all communicating to us, then it's possible,

because I believe that for whatever reason you're here,

that doesn't define who you are.

[Randy] Thank you.

Yes, sir.

I see that you real big on being a humanitarian and helping the people.

What about programs that help people

get out of jail instead of being comfortable in jail?

I don't wanna be here and be comfortable.

I don't wanna be here and be pacified.

I want to go home to my family and start anew

and become a man and join society.

-What's your name, sir? -My name's Willie Lovelace.

[Higgins] Mr. Lovelace.

-Yes. -That's what I'm trying to do.

I promise you that.

That's what this is about. This is a beginning.

That's what you guys gotta understand.

It starts with the unlocked door.

It could end

with truly helping somebody...

To be free.

...to be free and stay free.

I need y'all to prove to me

that I'm right about you.

That I'm right about what this can be.

-[inmates applauding] -Okay? Appreciate it, gentlemen.

[indistinct chatter]

[upbeat music playing]

[narrator] The inmates now have less than 24 hours

to process what the sheriff has told them

and decide how they want to conduct themselves when the experiment begins.

The guards leaving up out of here. Get your ass up out of there.

Go take your ass in the box. I don't wanna see y'all no more.

We running the pod now.

This is gonna be a lot of problems. I guarantee you.

There's gonna be problems.

I'mma tell you what'll happen. This is gonna be shut down.

Shut down!

He's not an idiot. He knows it's gonna fail.

There's no way that you can possibly let criminals govern theirself.

I think if they do what they say, we're gonna be all right.

[inmate] Yeah.

I'll believe it when I see it, though.

It's about time that this situation is being acknowledged.

They're paying attention to the real problem in this here county.

There's a tension in the air now, know what I'm saying.

So now they're gonna taste blood. So, I don't know what's gonna happen.

Talking about no officers? At all?

Yeah, man. Got to be some authority. A little bit. You know what I'm saying?

Some people gonna need some goddamn help. You hear me?

I think it's going to work.

This is going to work because this is all of us together.

We come together as one, and it's going to work.

I have faith in it.

[Dennis] Lockdown!

[indistinct chatter]

[funky music playing]

Oh God, this is gonna be very, very interesting.

Very interesting. It's gonna be very interesting.

They came in to pour water on this seed.

Now it's up to us to nurture this seed and make the seed grow.

New doors will open, and I want my voice to be heard

in any means necessary.

Uncle Squirrel, listen.

I know what we should do.

Listen.

Since you good at fixing problems before they occur,

you going to be over all the problem-solving.

I was on a mission to put together this power team.

This the way this gonna run.

Everybody that comes through that door? I'mma give them the rules!

We need to run our own community thing up in here.

'Cause we ain't gonna let nobody come in and fuck this shit here up.

-We're gonna keep these doors open, man. -[cackling]

If you got the elders up in here,

we come together, and we'll take care of their problem.

It's gotta be up to the elders.

We got more experience by doing and been through this

and these youngsters don't have a clue.

Finch! Come here.

I need your help to try to run something up in this unit.

So this is the way we're gonna do this.

-[Finch] Yeah, boss! Come here, boss! -Okay.

We nominate you.

The newcomers come in,

you gonna talk to them about the things that's going on.

-Okay. All right, cool. -Thank you, brother.

Nominate you to do what?

Like, help the guys when they come in and shit.

"You're gonna point and this and that. Blah, blah, blah."

I'm like, "Okay, man. Whatever."

That's not your job. That's not... You know what I'm saying?

Once again, that's somebody putting theirself above others.

You're not in that position. You're here for the same shit.

I don't like that. I'm not gonna disagree with him.

I'm not trying to get in no altercation. I don't wanna beat nobody up.

You.

We need you.

For what?

I think it could be productive.

And a little bit of it I think would be some bullshit.

[Randy] We gotta help each other in here.

So, what you need?

Yeah, man, I need you to... Eastside will give you...

See if he'll give you a couple shots of coffee.

[Randy] Okay.

I will help Tiny, and he the one who will help me.

But we all gotta work together in here.

-Eastside. Here. -What?

[Randy] Dude says you'll give him a couple shots of coffee today?

Who?

For... the little short light-skinned dude.

I gave a bunch already.

All right.

[Randy] And I'll take this back to him.

We're finna have a good committee board going on here.

I'm gonna talk to the juveniles about this right here.

We're not finna let nobody mess this up for us.

This is our house.

Until we go home, bail up outta here,

this is our home for now.

And we finna let nobody come in and destroy our home.

Come in and steal our TV. Kick our doors in.

[Ty] Thinks he's fuckin'... a politician or some shit.

[imitating Randy] "I'm gonna talk to the juveniles."

[Randy] He just gave you this.

[Tiny] All right.

[Randy] This team that I put together, it's going to work.

Y'all in the ride for y'all life now.

I got it.

I am the vibe boss!

[upbeat music playing]

I made it. I made it. I made it. I made it. Whoo.

Okay. I guess we start cleaning up this place.

True story.

This power team right here...

We'll help these youngsters.

They ain't gonna let nothing happen to us as a community,

to make this community fall. They ain't gonna take no drama.

Another convict telling me

that I have to do this.

I don't like that. It pushes my buttons.

It makes me... It makes me buck, you know.

I feel like the older folks are gonna fuck up this shit. Fuck up this program.

We gotta make our time here.

-We're not fucking robots. -[Mayham] Yes.

How you feel about the "no lockdown"?

Definitely gonna be a lot more tattoos in this motherfucker.

-[Eastside] Definitely. -[Ty] Definitely.

It's gonna be fun 'cause we can come up in here.

Be like, "Hey, pop out at our crib."

I'm saying we having a spades game in this motherfucker.

"Oh, what are y'all doing in here?"

That could be the front for tattoos, you know what I mean?

[Eastside] Definitely.

-Definitely more partying. -Definitely.

You don't have to worry about bullshit the guards say.

Like, "Sit down!"

Yeah. "Be quiet!"

None of that. We running it. It's us.

We're gonna get lit in this motherfucker.

-We're definitely making hooch. -Fuck yeah.

[Eastside] Definitely.

[Ty] Definitely.

["Don't Play by Rules" by Kikbak ft Eclipse Darkness playing]

♪ I don't play by the rules ♪

♪ But I'm still in the game ♪

♪ I'mma earn my respect Tell 'em write a check ♪

♪ Put it in my name ♪

♪ I don't play by the rules ♪

♪ But I'm still in the game ♪

♪ I'mma earn my respect Tell 'em write a check ♪

♪ Put it in my name ♪

♪ 'Cause I don't play by the rules Nah, I don't play by the rules... ♪

[narrator] The experiment begins in a matter of hours,

and the inmates are already thinking about how the balance of power will play out

once the doors are open.

But some are being more proactive than others.

♪ I don't play by the rules ♪

♪ But I'm still in the game ♪

♪ I'mma earn my respect Tell 'em write a check ♪

♪ Put it in my name ♪

♪ 'Cause I don't play by the rules ♪

♪ Guarantee I won't lose ♪

[Randy] Tyler. He needs to be watching everything.

'Cause I got some friends.

You know who my friend is?

[indistinct chatter]

[pensive music playing]

[Owen] Hey, guys, lockdown, please!

[inmate] Oh no.

[indistinct chatter]

[Owens] Hey! Lockdown!

[indistinct chatter]

He was very rude. Very disrespectful.

I won't let that slide.

That's it.

[indistinct chatter]

[door buzzing]

[Rosco] Is you ready to fight?

-[Tyler] What the fuck we fighting for? -[Rosco] It's about respect.

[Tyler] You tell him I ain't fighting.

I have a power team.

And it's up to y'all to say yes or no to us.

[Tyler] Yo!

[punching]

[grunting]

[grunting]

[Rosco] Bitch!

[Tyler] Stop. My head's bleeding.

My fucking head's bleeding, man. Stop!

Stop. My head's gushing.

Man! You fight for no goddamn reason. Where the fuck is your heart at, dude?

[door buzzes open]

-[Owens] What happened? What? -[Tyler] I fell off the bed.

I slipped and fell off the bed and hit my head.

Busted all up.

He told them he slipped and fell. That's nuts.

And I did that. No one else.

Today... I'm speaking.

Everything is to be spoken and heard.

[Owens] What happened? You didn't slip off the bed.

[Tyler] Yes, I did.

I believe in karma.

What goes around comes around.

[Rosco] Damn, she takin' bro out.

[indistinct chattering]

[inmates yelling]

[Owens] Hey!

[yelling continues]

As far as the open doors and them...

their "bigger picture,"

what kind of impact it makes. But... [chuckles]

...I'm not really excited about that.

-[nurse] Don't touch your head. -All right.

Leave it alone.

-We gotta stop the bleeding. -Yeah.

When those doors come open, I think it's gonna be a little chaotic

'cause everybody's gonna have to find their place until they can establish

who's dominant in the unit.

You think we're ready?

-Yes, sir. We'll make it happen. -Okay. Okay.

-You know the important thing is safety. -Yes, sir.

We wanna make sure everybody's safe in there.

We've been preparing for several months.

We've cleaned the units, we've let the detainees know,

and today, we're gonna open the doors and start this experiment.

[inmate] As far as the guards being removed,

I can handle it.

A lot of people here should be able to,

but it don't take but one person in here to mess all of that up.

That's it.

[Higgins] Opening the doors is just the beginning

of opportunities that they may have.

If it's a success, okay, great, it worked.

Then we're talking about who else can do this?

If it fails, people are gonna say,

"Sheriff doesn't know what he's doing. I can't believe he's done this."

"We knew it wouldn't work." So, it's on me.

What I heard was, "We're giving you a chance to go ahead and screw yourself."

"We're betting against you on all odds that you clowns is gonna fuck up."

"And the moment that you do, we can show America

this is why we keep you stupid clowns behind the door."

Worst-case scenario to me is that, shit, everybody in the unit

decides to get together and say, "Fuck it, let's get up out of here."

[pensive music playing]

[Tiny] My grandmother taught me, "Keep your hands to yourself,

keep your feet on the ground,

and keep your spit in your motherfucking mouth."

When the doors pop, any of those violations towards me,

I'mma fucking open your shit up.

[music continues]

[Tiny] Oh fuck.

Hello!

Pop the doors!

Yo!

Hey, listen up!

Hey, listen up!

[inmate] Man, fuck that!

[Freeman] Hey.

You can come out right now if you want to.

Listen up! Listen up!

I need everybody to stay in your cells until me and Deputy Dennis walks out.

Once we walk out of here, you can come out of the doors and y'all can go in.

[Randy] Yeah!

It's time! It's time!

Celly! Look!

[inmates cheering]

[inmate 2] Let's go!

Hey, man! What the fuck is that?

This ain't gonna work. This ain't gonna work.

Motherfuckers start beating on the door, yelling, "Get the fuck up out of here!"

"Fuck y'all!" Doot, doot, doot.

I was like, "This shit ain't gonna live more than 30 minutes."

[inmate 3] Uh-oh! Uh-oh!

[computer] ER, are you sure?

[banging on doors, yelling]

[beep]

[siren wailing, doors buzz open]

[Mayham] Here we go.

[inmates yelling]

[whooping]

Open doors, baby!

You got me thinking I need to go and get me a fucking knife.

[ambient music playing]