Television 60 Days In

60 Days In might be the most radical reality TV show concept yet

IT’S official, there is no limit to what a person will do for their 15 minutes of fame. A new reality television series is proof of that.

The 12-part 60 Days In, premiering on March 10 in the US, is about as risky as it gets for TV execs and those who have signed up to take part.

The concept is simple: Take seven ordinary, law-abiding Americans and place them inside one of the country’s hardest prisons. The new inmates are given fake criminal records and neither guards nor existing inmates are told it’s all an elaborate ruse.

Footage for the series is recorded on the security cameras at Clark County Jail in Indiana and via face-to-face interviews with a mock documentary crew pretending to film “first time inmates” talking about their experiences.

Among the willing participants is Barbra, a mother of two young children who, according to creators A&E, “strongly feels that inmates have it easy behind bars and that taxpayers foot the bill (for) three square means a day and a place to sleep”.

In a trailer for the series, she admits: “It’s really hitting me how real this is.” Critics say that’s part of the problem — participants had no idea how “real” it would be or what risks were involved.

The man who runs the prison, Indiana Sheriff Jamey Noel, is credited with coming up with the concept as a way of gathering information on what really goes on when guards aren’t looking. He says it was a huge success.

“Before I took office … the inmates were running the facility,” he says.

“People were getting arrested on purpose because drugs were cheaper to get in jail ... We learned stuff that most experienced corrections officers never knew was going on.”

To get that information, though, the new inmates had to go through hell. Jeff, a security guard from Nevada, was one of them.

“What the hell did I get myself in to?” he asks producers during filming.

For Jeff, taking part is a means to an end. He wants to use the experience to “take the next step in his law enforcement career”.



“Jeff believes taking part in the program will help his resume and put him at the head of the class and distinguish him among candidates,” his bio on the show’s official website declares.

To prepare the seven new prisoners for whatever might confront them on the inside — violence, drugs, prison politics — they are taken through Prison 101.

In a classroom, they’re taught how to spend money and how to avoid becoming “somebody’s b***h”.

Another first-time inmate taking part in the series — which has loose ties to the Robert Redford film Brubaker, based on a true story — is Isaiah, whose links to the prison system are particularly personal.

Isaiah’s brother was jailed five years ago and, though they speak on a regular basis, Isaiah says he wants to walk in his brother’s shoes.

Maryum, a social worker whose job involves meeting with troubled youths caught in up gang-related crime, is also voluntarily locking herself up.

The eldest of boxing great Muhammad Ali’s nine children, she says her father would likely not approve “if he didn’t have Parkinson’s and was bright”.

She told USA Today she always wanted to know what it was like inside.

“I spent the greater part of my profession trying to prevent at-risk kids from going to jail.”

Variety, which reviewed the controversial series, said viewers can expect to experience a “queasy feeling associated with turning a prison into a reality-TV backdrop, with all the baggage that entails”.

Sheriff Noel isn’t worried about that. The Clark County law enforcer, who himself has something of a celebrity fanbase, loves the attention.

Between hosting firearm information sessions and calling out child abusers, he’s been touring the country appearing on talk shows and promoting the program.

He knows he has his critics, too, but he hopes the majority of people see the show for what it is.

“You’re always going to have critics,” he said. “At the end of the day, people will see my motivation was to fix things, to improve things, and that’s really why I did it.”

What could possibly go wrong?

http://www.news.com.au/entertainmen...t/news-story/ec77bb0afd14858b0f72af7e5c9bc9b2

Thanks for reminding me. I forgot all about this until I saw the screenshots lol. I was thinking while I was watching it that if I was doing that I would want my cover story to have something to do with drugs that way I could BS with something I at least know about.

Hehhe. I've watched all 3 episodes already. I am waiting for number 4.

Do you think it is full legit real? I wonder if it's set up, because it would be so dangerous if it was totally real, how could they risk a person on the show going inside and being shanked for example?

Why would people be willing to sign away all their rights to go into a prison where people get bashed and stabbed and killed fairly regularly? Do they get paid?

Anyway I keep on watching regardless.

This pic here for example -



When this scene happened this guy should have totally smashed that big bald guy whatever his name is, Di angelo or something, it would have been a massive king hit, but it wasnt it was like some little kid having a play slap on him? He didnt even get knocked down.

Either the guy delivering the blow was an absolute pathetic fighter, or else the show is totally staged.

i got half way through episode 2 and gave up.

not sure what i was expecting from a&e, but for me it was too formulaic and almost every time someone opened their mouths it caused me utter pain.

"inmates get a free ride, my husband gets the same food and he works his butt off" smh

I keep hoping the DEA agent wannabee is going to get stabbed in the throat but it wouldn't be TV if shit got that real. If you want drama throw these people into a maximum security state prison for a year and see what happens. 60 days in a minimum security dormitory is the definition of boring to me. Besides I don't get much pleasure out watching other peoples misery.

This shows fake. I'm a CO and so much of that show isn't right. Like previously stated with the pathetic King hit incident. Fights are normally just assaults, someone gets knocked out first punch and their head gets stomped on (srs)
Second, you can't just sneak someone into a Gaol to visit them ( the production crew saying they snuck their family members in).
Same thing with the mobile phone used to FaceTime a family member through the production crew. Mobile phones are 100% not allowed. Only person who can bring in a phone is the warden and that's rare.
That Robert guy would have been shived within 24 hours.
Tami would've been knocked out numerous times.
It's all fake.

^ agree with alot of this
it's at least fairly entertaining
I wonder about how completely staged it is though tbh but I agree whatever fighting we've seen is fake af
the non-drugs being found in dude's belongings was weird too
were other inmates trying to set him up? if so why not put something real? etc.
i watched a bit of first few episodes on on demand and will probably catch up with the rest
the Robert guy is a clinical case tbh and I wouldn't be surprised if gets himself fired from his IRL teaching job