Unlocked: A Jail Experiment (2024) s01e08 Episode Script

1
[tense music playing]
[crickets chirping]
[blows landing]
[CJ] You bitch
[narrator] Even without
surveillance cameras inside the cells,
the activity in the pod
has gotten the attention of the deputy.
[CJ] Get up. Get up.
[indistinct chatter]
[deputy] Are you all right?
[Weekley] Nah, I fell out of my rack.
-[deputy] Can you breathe?
-[Weekley] Not really.
[Randy] One on one,
that's the way you do stuff.
One, two, three,
that's like a beehive on that person,
and I do not have no respect
for nobody like that.
You did wrong.
[deputy] He fell off the top bunk.
[Weekley moans]
[female deputy] What's hurting you
right now?
[Weekley] My head and my ribs.
[Weekley groaning]
It hurts to breathe.
[deputy] Okay, we're gonna take you
to medical right now.
[Tiny] Y'all caught
a motherfucker cheating.
Okay, yeah, he needed his ass beat,
you know what I'm saying?
All these new cats, they come
to this motherfucker and do bullshit.
But he was also OG status,
you know what I'm saying?
And he's affiliated.
We got Crips. We got Bloods.
That shit should've been
enforced another way.
They could've murdered
this motherfucker.
They're gonna take him
to medical right now.
You can't beat somebody out like that
and not get the fuckin' police up in here.
-If the lieutenant finds out, it's OV.
-Yep.
[music fades]
[ambient music playing]
-[Higgins] Hey, LT.
-[Freeman] What's going on, Sheriff?
Had an incident happen.
So, I'm actually sitting here
trying to review some of the footage.
This is the guy right here. Um
He's gonna take his shirt off,
so you can tell he's a willing participant
at this point.
And you can tell this is something that
they'd already talked about and planned.
You see, here comes the other guy.
Here's one, two,
third guy.
He goes in,
door closes.
[Higgins] With the camera system
in the unit,
there's limits on what we can see.
We made contact with the individual
and, you know,
initially just saying that he fell,
but he was evaluated medically,
and then we reviewed the footage,
and we identified what had happened.
-[Higgins] And these other folks.
-[Freeman] Spectating.
We got the rest of these guys just
I mean, they might as well be in there.
So maybe this unit wasn't quite ready
to bring new people in
because this wasn't just
a, uh, spontaneous thing.
People were planning this fight.
So this is one of the challenges we face
without having a deputy in the unit.
But regardless, we cannot have
this type of behavior in here.
No, this ain't this ain't gonna work.
Yeah.
[indistinct chatter]
I need everybody to lockdown in they cell.
[inmate] We going on lockdown!
The fuck, Miss D?
We locked down for the day?
I don't know.
They just told me to lock you down.
I need everybody to close the doors!
Close the doors!
Close 'em!
[tense music playing]
That's bullshit!
[Dennis] Go ahead and pack up.
[CJ] Ah, all right.
[Randy] When they start
to move peoples out of here,
majority of all of us on edge now.
I mean, we on high alert.
We full metal jacket.
That's what we are right now.
Go ahead and pack up.
Your whole face is all messed up,
like, I don't understand.
This was a failure for the unit,
the community.
We're removing detainees
involved in the fight.
I put everyone else on lockdown,
while I figure out
what I'm gonna do moving forward.
Aight. Ready.
[inmate] All right, CJ.
Aight, I'll see y'all!
[Jarrod] CJ, he ran with me, you know,
from the streets and everything.
To me, that's like my little brother.
We got cool like that.
But he gonna always do some bullshit.
I tried to tell him!
But nah, he wouldn't listen to me.
You sure you don't wanna take those books?
It's gonna be boring over there. 23 and 1.
23 and 1!
The three people that got removed
deserve to get removed
because they actions
gonna fuck it up for all of us,
and anybody else who act in the same way
should be removed as well.
[D2 singing]
It's too late to apologize ♪
You can't blame everybody
for other folks' mistakes.
We can potentially go
from 24 hours being out
to 23 and 1.
I didn't do shit! We didn't do shit!
Don't think they're gonna keep
the doors open. That's a wrap.
I think this shit done.
[music builds]
[cell door squeaking shut]
[music fades]
[melancholic music playing]
[beep]
[narrator] The inmates
have been locked down for several hours
and are now faced with the possibility
of returning to 23 and 1,
despite having nearly completed
the sheriff's six-week experiment.
I know.
[AJ] I think this shit done.
[Sprinkle] Come on,
we ain't in here to fight.
We fighting for our life already.
You wanna come in here
and fight all day long.
I'm trying to get them doors open.
I'm not trying to stay
in that cell all day, every day, man.
Shit!
I had a feeling that some bullshit
gonna come right along with it, man.
Hey, everybody out of your cells!
I need you down front and have a seat!
-[fast-paced music playing]
-[doors buzzing open]
[Tiny] Damn, I wonder
what they finna say, man.
I've been on edge since yesterday
because I don't know what's gonna happen.
But I've been really tired of listening
to the fucking sheriff when he come in.
[indistinct chatter]
See what the fuck's really going on here.
-What's going on?
-[inmate] Chief, how y'all doing?
All right, how are you?
So I'm wondering if these detainees
really want to have the benefits
that we've been presenting to them,
or do they just want
to go back to the way things were?
Uh, I'm just not too sure about it.
Pretty quiet in here.
When the sheriff walks in,
I'm thinking that it's over with.
We're not finna be out no more.
Gentlemen!
[Randy] Good afternoon.
How've things been going?
Good.
Not really, huh?
Not really.
I'm looking on camera,
seeing what's going on.
I'm watching you guys.
I can't have
something happening every week.
So that's the thing about this.
It's not one incident and we good.
It's zero.
[tense music playing]
Zero.
Obviously, y'all don't appreciate
the doors being open.
We do, though.
[Higgins] No, this is all of us.
[Mayham] We care.
Hey, hey, hey, it's all of us.
I wanted y'all to prove
that I was right about you,
about how the unit could be,
how we could operate.
They've shown in here
that they can come together,
um, and they can work out their conflicts.
But this is a transitional facility,
and if they'll change on a dime
just so soon after new people come in,
then they're not taking it seriously.
They don't see the opportunity
that they have.
They don't see
that we could do something different.
So I don't know if it can really work.
Tomorrow, I'm gonna come back.
[Randy] Yes, sir.
You've got to convince me
why the doors should be open.
[Randy] Yes, sir.
-[Higgins] Chief.
-Sir.
[Higgins] I'mma leave them open
until tomorrow.
-That's all right? Okay.
-[Hendricks] Yes, sir.
Thank you, Chief.
We're gonna leave it open,
so be prepared tomorrow.
Not a whole bunch
of jibber-jabber, just talking.
I think they were going
in a positive direction,
and we've removed
some people out of the unit.
I'mma give them an opportunity,
leave the doors open,
but I'm giving them 24 hours
and I want them to tell me why
I should leave the doors open
longer than six weeks.
It's up to y'all. All right?
-[inmates] Yes, sir.
-[Higgins] This is the end of the program.
They've had all this time
to show me something different,
and I don't know what they're gonna do.
I don't know if, uh, it's just too late.
-All right, thank you, gentlemen.
-[Randy] Thank you, Sheriff.
[music fades]
[ambient music playing]
Hey, get down, man!
The sheriff told us to try to convince him
that we need to keep these doors open.
We all ears right now.
We wanna hear what y'all got to say
so we can write that shit down, man.
The program's so important
'cause we're not only fighting for us,
but we're fighting for the whole facility.
Teaching everybody around each other.
Take away their pride, you know.
Have enough respect for
the motherfucker next to you to do better.
That's why this shit's so important.
That's why I be caring about it.
That's why I won't be
no motherfucker to fight and fuck shit up.
[indistinct chatter]
[Randy] Hey, that's some good stuff.
That's good.
Be content to implement these rules.
That's what I can say.
Hold ourselves accountable.
Look, time out! Go through what we get.
Keep the stress level down.
Able to communicate with family more.
Able to deal with our own situations.
More time to have our group meeting.
Help us with our cases.
Makes it easy to afford a deal.
Keeps us mentally stable.
Then he expects something to say.
Hey, you know what? We're trying.
This is the proof that we're trying.
It's showing instead of telling,
instead of talking about it.
It's saying we want to do this
'cause we don't want this to happen again.
You know? He wants some proof,
not some stuff that sounds good.
You know what I'm saying?
We gonna have to come up with
some rules, some structure for ourselves.
The new orientation for here
and the rules and the penalties.
We not gonna just write motherfuckers up
[Willie] No, we ain't gonna write 'em up.
We gonna write 'em up amongst ourselves,
and if you got too many violations
of doing the same thing, outta here, man!
We gotta start doing something
instead of chasing our tails.
We can't just come to this meeting
and nothing be solved, bro.
Yeah. How about we do this?
If we see one of the olders
or one of the youngsters doing wrong,
instead of us trying to be all [growls]
to others,
let's go to them and help them.
Help them up instead of falling.
Then if they keep doing the same thing,
then that's when we take action.
We come up with a plan this time.
When new peoples come in here,
we finna sit you down,
you finna go through
a 30-minute orientation,
and this is what you gonna do,
and this is how you gonna do it.
Either that right there,
or you gonna get up out of here
or the mentor going to take care of you.
We got one youngster wanna say something.
Man, bro, I'm just speaking
for the youngsters, man, bruh.
We may be
a little immature in our own ways
because we trying to get
we trying to get through our time.
We are all dealing with a lot of bullshit,
but we still learn from y'all
because y'all is the generation before us.
We looking up to y'all as well,
as y'all don't know.
It might not show all the way,
but I do respect them.
I do take in consideration
what they be saying.
I'm not just young and dumb.
I got a mind on me too.
I know what's right from wrong,
and I'll listen to y'all when it's right.
When you wrong, you wrong.
When you right, you right.
At the end of the day,
I still fuck with everybody.
-We fuck with y'all oldheads!
-We fuck with y'all, oldheads.
I also feel that because there's
some smarter, younger people in here
A lot of respect for youngsters.
if us older individuals
was doing too much,
they should have the right
to come to whoever.
I second!
[Tiny] We trying to be mentors.
You know? We trying to keep
some positive shit going,
we trying to keep a positive atmosphere.
That way, we can keep
a few privileges in this motherfucker.
My kid is supposed to be coming to see me,
and, um, if these doors close
Shit. I can't do it.
So when the time comes,
to do certain shit,
follow the fuckin' rules,
know what I'm saying?
This is a good meeting!
I feel better about this meeting
because usually when we leave,
I be pissed off.
I be pissed off and say,
"That was a waste of fuckin' time."
We accomplishing some things today.
We really have to convince this man,
and we know we can do better.
We knew we can do better.
This is crunch time right here.
This is the fourth quarter,
and the ball is in his court.
[Willie] Hey, beautiful meeting, man!
Thank y'all!
[narrator] In light of
the positive meeting
and the progress that's been made
between the generations,
Randy decides to take the opportunity
to quash an old beef
with one of the youngsters.
I might fuss, cuss, get mad at something.
You youngsters might do
stupid stuff to me,
but one thing, I'm gonna say this.
I respect youngsters more than anything.
Even though we had
our little razzle-dazzle,
[tsks] I ain't worried about that.
[tense music playing]
[Chauncey] Come on, Unc.
[Randy] You can get in here
and sit your ass down!
You talkin' about me to someone!
And I sat up!
50 years old!
[Randy] Yeah, it's over with.
-You my grandma's age, my grandpa's age!
-Everybody, leave me alone.
I could've got a new charge.
I sat back, thought about it.
I shouldn't have never did that.
[poignant music playing]
I apologize to you
'cause we took it out of proportion.
And then you just start stepping back
from everybody, just like me.
Really, I just seen
what was going on and shit.
I just decided to see
a change for the better for myself.
I definitely ain't gonna come in here
and let nobody trick me outta my spot.
-There you go.
-I can't do it.
I think this program here,
it helps me learn how to talk to people
without hollerin' at 'em
and being aggressive.
Communication is all we have up in here.
And so that's what we worked on.
After that incident,
I stopped coming to y'all rooms.
I stopped trying to demand stuff
because you inspired me
the way you sat back and I sat back.
This is a learning phase for me.
I ain't coming here just to come in here.
I'll listen to a lot of y'all.
Y'all say y'all continuously been in here.
-[Randy] Phew!
-In and out of here, spent years in here.
[Randy] Me, my first time
going to the pen,
I was 22 and a half.
When I got out, I was 30.
My kids was one when I left.
-When I got out, they was eight.
-Yeah.
I don't got no kids and shit,
but I don't want to miss
my nephews and nieces grow up.
A lot of time when you in here,
you don't live life in reality.
Every day I say I'm going home,
but I don't honestly know I'm going home.
That's just something
you want to tell yourself. So
[inhales deeply]
I don't wanna be like these other dudes
'cause that's why
they ready to fight and crash out
and willing to lose the spot that they got
because they know they not going home.
So you feel like
you ain't got nothing to lose no more.
I was telling my celly
he was doing dumb shit.
[Randy] I hate that happened, though.
You coming back
bruises and scars and shit on you.
I want you to do
I want you to do one thing.
Starting today.
Pay it forward.
If I can help three,
that three gonna turn into six.
That six gonna turn into nine.
Just keep going on and on, and watch
how many good things start happening.
We need these doors open.
No other jail ever that
a sheriff's come up there and just
say to you, "Convince me."
So we have to do this.
We don't have no other choice.
So now, you challenge yourself
to help the peoples in here.
Help them change.
I mean, anything can happen.
[music fades]
[indistinct chatter]
[Squirrel] What you been saying?
Why haven't you been
making hooch anymore, dude?
I feel like it would
get us shut down again if I tried.
So basically you just trying to lay low
and stay out the way.
[Eastside] Yeah.
'Cause I didn't know it was that easy
to get it, like,
for all of us
to get in trouble like we did.
You know what I mean?
So it was kind of a good step
just to tone it down.
I love that. I mean,
we need these doors open, you know?
Yeah, I definitely don't want
to lose what we have.
Definitely not.
Before, I was just
wanting that adrenaline rush high.
You know what I mean?
And anything to get that fix,
I was with it.
Now, I feel better as a person
where I don't have to look
over my shoulder.
I don't wanna go back to,
like, the 23 and 1 and stuff like that.
Because I know this has helped me.
I can talk about my problems with people,
you know what I mean?
And I want it to,
like, continue to help me.
We survived
in this motherfucker long enough.
I think we should all just come together.
Gonna be some bumps down the road,
but we gonna make this shit happen.
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] Having given the inmates
one last chance to come up with a plan
to keep the doors open
beyond the end of the experiment,
the sheriff returns to hear them out.
He's here already, y'all.
The sheriff is here.
[Freeman] Fellas! Fellas!
All right, let's all come down
and have a seat.
[Higgins] I hope they can convince me that
they're taking ownership,
responsibility for their community.
But there's a lot of baggage.
I mean, there's a lot that's happened
in these last few weeks.
We'll we'll see.
[music fades]
Look at the sheriff's face.
[tense music playing]
[Eastside] He makes this face
like he's disappointed.
You know what I mean? Like
Like your mom's, like, telling you,
"Oh, wait till your dad gets home."
Then you're like, "My ass is grass."
You know what I mean? [laughs]
So today, y'all gonna tell me why
I need to keep the doors open.
Convince me.
[Sykes] Um
Uh First of all, I want to thank you
for letting us get this experience.
It's a lot of positive people here.
I don't see why
we shouldn't keep the doors open.
The trash will carry itself out. You know?
I feel like we want it bad enough. Uh
Me and a couple
of the olderheads got together.
Man, we came up with almost everything.
We got two or three pod bosses.
We really went the extra mile.
[Higgins] You know, the hope is
that instead of trying to be a pod boss,
they'll work together to create
a more positive environment.
That's that's not the information I want.
[Tiny] Um Being here,
you know, it truly helped me
being able to come out,
correspond with my kid better.
Make a better relationship with my son.
-Yes.
-[Tiny] That helped me a lot, you know?
And I know we had mistakes.
You have removed some of the individuals.
I'm sorry for that.
That had to happen,
because I like some of them cats,
but a decision had to be made,
and the type of man that you are
a man of your word and a politician,
um, things must be set
the way that they need to be set.
-So, hopefully that
-[inmates applauding]
I like that!
hopefully that this community,
um, continues to stay together.
Us older individuals got together
and came up with something
and especially some
of the younger individuals,
they have made mistakes, you know?
We can You know
We can talk to them about, um,
progressing to become better men.
Okay.
No No offense.
I wouldn't say the word "pod boss."
I would use a more civilized word.
That's "mentors."
-Um
-I like that.
[hopeful music playing]
Yesterday, we had a meeting,
and that's the first time
something felt accomplished.
I didn't walk away
from the meeting mad, like, "Damn."
"We just keep chasing
our tail round and round in circles."
And we went we went together.
Hey, old, young, and in the middle.
We gonna work the program.
We gonna make you proud of us, man.
That's my goal. I'm not worried
about the trash taking it out itself
because I'm gonna keep it clean.
That's right.
You know, I take anxiety
and depression pills.
So it just helps me cope with it.
You know what I mean?
I can be able to talk to other people
and relate to them.
Some of us in here have problems
so we don't have nobody else
to turn to but self.
I know that we did things bad at the time,
but I think we can overcome the bad
and bring to the good.
So I think that it'd be
righteous if we just get this chance
to have these doors open
so we can help each other out
with our problems.
[music fades]
I hear the stories and I'm sure
this has had some positive impact on you.
No No doubt about that.
But how much of this is blowing smoke?
[tense music playing]
I mean, y'all call me a politician,
but I am the police too.
[Randy] That's right.
And I see the BS.
Y'all sat back and let things happen.
This whole time.
You didn't make the cocktail,
but maybe you drank it.
Are you serious?
[inmates] Yes, sir!
[inmate] Dead serious.
How many times you told me y'all serious?
Every time I come in here.
I wasn't taking none of this seriously.
I was just trying to get the benefits,
but we need to set up some type
of mentors and some, like, sanctions.
So like if certain individuals
could say, "Hey, man,
y'all get into it,
go get yourself an hour."
I I I truly appreciate that.
You see, this was the experiment.
-Could y'all come up with that?
-We already have.
[inmates] We already have!
-When?
-Last night!
[inmates clamoring]
[laughing]
Really? Last night?
Yeah, but we never
took it seriously before.
-So whose fault is that?
-[Crooks] Our fault.
Our community, we taking the fall.
-You taking it?
-But now But now we see.
Oh, so what you telling me
is that we were just playing.
-No! We not saying that!
-But now we serious?
[both] No,
we just don't trust people, man.
I got you.
Nobody's gonna trust the sheriff
because we're still criminals.
We're still locked up
for breaking the law.
We're still in this convict environment.
Maybe that's just me
being a rebellious person
having a problem with authority,
and he's the head honcho.
That's the sheriff, you know?
That's the fucking enemy.
I mean, y'all waited till yesterday
to try to do something.
I mean, you gave us enough time,
but we new to this.
And we true to this, but we new to this,
so, it took us a while
because we we slow.
Look how long it's taking us
to get along in life.
Thank you for having patience with us
'cause that's what you do.
But now we gonna show you what we can do.
[poignant music playing]
[Higgins] It's not just about you.
It's about the safety of this facility.
-It's about the deputies that work here.
-And the people after us.
And the people coming after you.
I don't know.
This program's got my name on it,
so there's a lot on the line.
I'm trying to do something different
to change the legacy of the facility,
but I'm not truly convinced
that the doors need to be opened.
I don't know what I'm gonna do.
We're gon I'mma make a decision.
I'mma come back tomorrow.
We're gon we're gonna see.
Appreciate you, gentlemen.
[Eastside] When he left,
the mood was like
like everybody did not know what to think.
[Freeman] You guys go ahead and get
to your rooms so they can do a headcount.
[tense music playing]
[Tiny] I said everything
that I needed to say to the sheriff. Um
I hope that it sinks in.
[indistinct chatter]
Man, I really don't fucking know
if we got a chance. I really don't know.
Well, my concern is all the things
we talked to them about in the beginning,
and they're waiting till the wee hour
[Hendricks] Mm-hmm.
to the end,
to say, "Okay. I'm serious now."
Maybe they did realize, finally,
whatever the epiphany was,
that you were serious
about what you said all along.
Mm-hmm.
Seemed pretty positive.
Yeah. Positive today because
they made some changes last night.
You know, they said they've learned
and they're gonna hold people accountable,
and they're creating this community
and taking responsibility for it.
But will that continue?
[Higgins inhales deeply]
[sighs]
Gonna have to really think about this.
Understood.
[music fades]
["Soul 2 Keep" by Classik playing]
As I lay me down to sleep ♪
If I die before I wake
My soul to keep ♪
[narrator] Having been put back
on lockdown
while the sheriff makes his decision,
the inmates are using
their one hour of day room
to try and focus on other things.
They don't understand this type of shit
and how fucked up they jail is.
The other day, we was in the group
and I told 'em I don't care
about coming to jail or being in jail.
-'Cause it ain't a big deal. It's normal.
-It's normal, you know?
Our whole problem is we institutionalized.
They keep going back and forth
'cause that's what it leads us back to.
-Drugs.
-Yeah.
I can say no to all the drugs
and everything that you bring me.
Right here.
Soon as you hit that gate, it's over with.
I do like being out here
and being a part of a program barracks.
'Cause I'm learning things about people
and learning how to talk
and communicate with people.
And I can be around positive people
that are trying to change.
And so, like, I'm worried about life
outside these walls. Know what I'm saying?
When I got out this time,
I didn't do drugs for,
like, a month and a half,
but I was selling dope.
So I kept seeing everybody getting high.
I'm like, "Man, I wanna do like them!"
-Being around 'em and shit.
-[Crooks] Yeah.
It didn't take long
'cause that's when I'm stressin'.
-I can't manage nothing.
-But I can manage that perfectly in here.
[Crooks] In here.
I'm gonna get out of here next week,
but it breaks me down
to admit that I can't take care of myself
because it bothers me. I wanna be able
to take care of other people.
I want to be, like, needed.
I'mma stay on a straight path.
By helping folks. It makes me feel good
just like I thought drugs did.
So that's what I replaced it with.
I need to be
put in a place
where I could work on myself.
What I'm trying to do,
I'm trying to transition to houses.
I got a homeboy right now.
He the same way as us and everything.
We've been in and out of prison
non-stop together.
He got in this program.
You start off in a room.
It's, like, four or five bunk beds.
Before it's over,
you and one other person
get a cabin together.
I'm ready to go to rehab.
I'm gonna get in as soon as I can.
I just wanna get everything
taken care of, man.
But when I can't use the phone,
I can't do that.
Closing us behind that door stuck
without being able
to do anything for yourself,
all you can do is be victim
to this environment and this system
and this cycle.
What's at stake is my life
as well as all the other inmates' lives
that are in that barracks right now.
Our addiction is
Goddamn, man, we're institutionalized.
-We got to try to get some help.
-It's the only thing we got.
[ambient music playing]
[narrator] It has all come down
to the final day of the program,
and the sheriff will announce
whether or not the doors will stay open
past the end of the six weeks.
[Randy] Thumbs up or thumbs down?
That's that's a hard question.
I think it's in between right now.
Where do you think he's at?
Shoot. I don't know, dawg.
I don't even know
what to say about any of this.
So we had some good points
on why the doors should stay open.
Let's see what the moment brings.
[music intensifies, fades]
[exclaiming, chatter]
You walked in and you see?
[Tiny] The lights came on
when he walked through,
and the air and everything came back on,
you know?
[clapping]
I'm like, "Oh, it's over with.
It's over with, man."
You don't know the power I got.
[indistinct]
I didn't know
you could push buttons like that, Sheriff!
[Higgins] That was the plan.
So I've been thinking about this.
I know some of y'all been doing
the right thing from the beginning.
But as a community
[tense music playing]
you haven't.
And we've been working on this
for several weeks,
and y'all just came together yesterday.
Yes, sir.
They gave me some stories, you know,
and I appreciate the personal stories.
You know, those are important to hear,
but it's also looking at
how they can work together collectively
to improve their environment,
to improve their community.
And so we have to look at
the big scheme of things.
-There should not be another unit
-[inmate] Better than this one.
-Better than this one. Thank you.
-That's right.
-[Higgins] Y'all with me?
-Yes, sir.
Do you wanna be here?
[inmates] Yes, sir!
So you want me to tell you what I'mma do?
[inmates] Yes, sir!
I'mma leave the doors open. Okay?
All right?
Thank you.
[Higgins] Like I told you,
there's so much more that we want to do,
but that's gonna depend on you.
Every step is a chance.
You know, it takes time,
and what I heard from them is trust.
Getting up to the point
where they trust each other,
where they trust us and what we're doing.
And I believe that
the light bulb has come on.
-All right, gentlemen.
-[inmates applauding]
[narrator] After six weeks
of trial and error,
the experiment is finally over,
but thanks to the inmates' perseverance,
their hard-won freedoms will continue.
[Randy] I feel excited.
I feel motivated.
I just feel like,
I'm happy.
'Cause everybody stood up.
I mean, they stood up.
We was a team together.
We was a team.
[laughing]
We are, by far,
the best unit in this whole facility.
That right there shows you
we're doing what we supposed to be doing.
Point-blank, period.
[exclaiming]
Yo, give me a high five! Yes!
I'm happy about it.
It's changing me in a way.
I'm able to talk to my child more.
She may be young, but I'm letting her know
that I'm still present in her life.
This shit is maturing me.
[Crooks] Yo, let that motherfucker go,
man! Please let 'em go!
Fucking happy, man!
Shit, we made the right decision
to say what the fuck we needed to say.
And we did it. I'm fuckin' happy.
I'm fuckin' happy!
What the fuck can I say?
-It's normal for me. I'm like, man.
-He come in like this.
[Tiny] I'm, like,
look at this shit here, man.
[indistinct]
I was like, "This motherfucker!
That dirty son of a bitch."
[Crooks] The experience that I've had
since I've been in this pod
is the best experience I've ever had
since I've been locked up.
But honestly, it's
it isn't [sputters]
I don't wanna give dude no credit, man.
I'm sorry, man.
I'm just I hate that.
That's some shitty stuff.
The truth is
just being truthfully honest,
it's because those doors are open
I've been able to communicate.
You know damn well
we don't wanna go behind no door.
I know I got business to handle.
-[inmate] That's right.
-Know what I'm saying?
And I got a fucking kid
that I wanna keep corresponding with.
[slow guitar music playing]
It's your brother this morning.
Getting myself together, man.
I'm expecting to see my son,
you know, today.
I ain't seen him in a few years, you know?
Hell yeah, I'm nervous.
Free phone calls was a blessing
because I was able to reach out to him.
You wanna make sure, you know,
things is right between you and him,
and, um, the mother of the child,
you know?
It's the only way things
are gonna work out between all of you.
[tense music playing]
So yeah, it's pretty big for me, man.
You know, anything could happen.
[music fades]
[poignant music playing]
What's up, son?
-What's up, Bri Bri?
-Hi.
-How you doing?
-Good.
You look beautiful.
How y'all doing, man?
[Tiny's son] Good.
[Tiny] Yeah?
When I seen him,
I said, "Boy, you look just like me!"
Handsome, though! Got the looks!
Look pretty good, man.
I feel good, man, seeing my boy, man.
I feel good.
I know y'all been busy.
I know y'all got a busy schedule, man.
So you carrying that ball?
-[Tiny's son] Football.
-[Tiny] Football.
You got practice today?
Uh, at the end of school.
[Tiny] At the end of school?
Hey, you done got big, man.
You bigger than me, man!
You got a girlfriend yet?
You got a girlfriend yet?
He ain't telling you either, huh?
No. He got a girl on his phone.
I knew it! I knew it.
I knew it was gonna happen,
but, you know, I always know!
You know, I know these things.
So he ain't telling me.
I know he ain't telling me yet.
Yeah.
[music fades]
How long you been here?
Man, going on eight months, man.
They done processed my charge.
And they brought it back up.
They trying to make me
take some bogus time.
They supposed to
bend through it without me.
They got me in some bullsh
Got me in some bullcrap.
For real, man.
[tense music playing]
[Tiny] I think it's hard for my kid
to see me in here.
Uh
Yeah.
Yo, man.
You listen to your mama.
Make the right decisions.
She kept you out this place for a reason.
I never want you coming down here, man.
See what it's doing?
I see the young dudes in here,
like, three to four years older than you.
They ain't never going home no more.
Never, son.
They in here just wildin' out.
They don't listen to they parents.
You know what I'm saying?
That's why you doing good, man.
You doing better than me.
You're gonna be better than me.
You know what I'm saying?
I'm sorry I made
some bad decisions for both of y'all.
I'm sorry.
You've been forgiven.
Thank you.
I love y'all, man.
I love you too.
[Bri Bri laughs]
[Tiny] I love you, Bri Bri.
Love you too.
[Tiny] It feel good to hear
my son say that I was forgiven.
You know? That was big.
You know what I'm saying? That's
That's love in the heart.
Yeah.
I think the time up.
It was a big deal because,
you know, in a long time,
I haven't seen my child
coming to these places to visit.
And, um, Brianna, we haven't had
the best relationship.
This is her first time ever
coming to see me in a place like this.
I'll see y'all later, man.
Y'all be safe, man.
[Brianna] All right, you too.
It was just huge, period.
There ain't gonna be a day
that I ever forget.
[music fades]
[Willie] That's a beautiful moment, man.
I know you were smiling
from ear to ear right there.
[Tiny] Yeah.
When I seen my boy, it made me
really want to truly be in their life.
His life, his mother's life,
making the relationship firm
between all three.
A new beginning of forgiveness
and a new beginning on new beginnings.
Yeah.
I can't control the past,
but I can control
how I move forward in the future.
[ambient music playing]
Yeah, seeing my boy,
it made me want to be a better man.
Yeah, I want to change for him.
But in order for me to change for him,
I have to want to change for myself.
[Willie] So we gotta leave
the immature stuff behind
and, uh, become the men
that we can be for our families.
It's making me strive harder
to do what I need to do and get out.
I gotta do some catching up,
know what I'm saying?
Fatherhood.
I gotta do some catching up in fatherhood.
I wanna be the best father I can be.
Yeah, I mean it.
Yeah, I mean it. Hell yeah.
[music fades]
[upbeat strings music playing]
[Higgins] Looking at this and trying
to identify success, it taught us
[chuckles] it can work.
[inaudible]
With all the disruptions,
all the problems we had,
the unit did operate better.
Less disciplinaries than other units.
We all in here responsible for shit.
No more games, man.
And overall, when you look at the things
we've introduced to them
What?! Bro, hell no! It's free!
[D2 laughing] Yo!
It's free calls!
[Higgins] There's a little conflict,
but they worked it out.
Man! Your main nigga's talking.
Main nigga got us locked down!
It's a good thing. It's a positive.
You know
Things aren't going to be perfect.
[Ty] This that quality house wine, y'all.
If I were to do this again,
I've learned that,
man, they'll do They can make
anything out of anything. [laughs]
[Ty] Abracadabra, B!
[Higgins] We're booking in
several people a day.
And so, I've learned to be selective
when you're bringing people into the unit.
I think we have to be more intentional.
This shit crazy!
[Higgins] Because I've seen
how fragile that community is.
But if we commit to something like this,
and we learn from the experience
and continue to try
to improve what we're doing,
we can create a safer detention facility.
It's not just for the jail itself.
We have people in this unit,
some will be released to the community,
some that's gonna go to a federal prison.
Wherever they go, we're interested
in them being a better person.
[music ends]
[upbeat percussive music playing]
True story.
True story!
True story! I'm cool!
Hey, I'm 47 years old,
and I be out there
with the best of the best.
I mean, boy,
these little kids, they look up to me.
They call me Uncle Randy. True story.
[music continues]
[Eastside] Got the new tats.
Fuck, it's jail.
Gotta gotta make it fun somehow,
you know what I mean?
Can't be depressed all the time.
Then you're gonna have to see a therapist.
Like, I'mma do my little bid in prison,
and then when I get out,
I'm not coming back.
Definitely not.
I would die before I come back in here.
I'm in jail on $1,000 bond, though.
[Don Don's sister] Right now,
I need to get some tires on my car.
Shit.
[Don Don] There it is!
You got it!
-[producer] Where'd you learn that?
-Good ole Don Don.
[chuckles] Enjoy it while it lasts
because you never know
when they will take you off H Unit.
[music continues]
To Sheriff, thank you so much, man,
for letting me participate in the program.
So now, I'm down here in Florida.
I went through rehab.
I've gone through the treatment facility.
I went through a detox center.
I'm living in a sober-living house.
I work every day,
and I reach out to younger kids
and try to let them know.
Look at me.
I'm affiliated, tattoos from head to toe.
You know what I mean?
Raised up in the streets.
Back and forth to prison.
And you know what?
If I can do it, anybody can do it.
[music continues]
[Mayham] Man, you coming in the H unit,
go in each others' cells and kick it.
Have a party. Have a sleepover.
Do your thing!
Just don't get caught.
Don't get caught doing no bullshit.
I really ain't supposed to be here.
I can't accept my fate.
As long as I still got breath in my body,
I still got a chance.
Recently after the program finished,
I was actually released from jail,
let back out on bond.
But, I mean,
I'm still fighting my case, of course.
I feel like being in that unit changed me
and made me view stuff different.
When we was released at H,
I can sit here and have a conversation
with an oldhead that's been here 12 times.
You get to connect with people
and actually learn a lot more.
And it make you realize, "Dang."
"I don't want I don't want to spend
the rest of my life here."
It gave me more hope and told me,
like, even though stuff is horrible,
it might not stay that way forever.
Catching up with my folks
that I missed for so long.
That's really been the best part.
Make things back right
the way I had it at first.
[laughs]
[music continues]
[door buzzes open]
[producer] That's great.
I hope it all works.
I hope it does too! [laughs]
Gentleman,
I wanna talk to you about something.
[music ends]
[poignant music playing]
[Tiny] Beating my charge,
my day of leaving,
I had to say to myself
as I was walking out,
I must make
the right decisions for myself,
for my kid, for my family.
The program,
it was a wonderful experience.
It helped me. It helped me a lot.
I took it a day at a time, man.
You know, working.
Doing a little family orientated shit.
You know?
Spending time with my son.
Seeing what he's got going on,
making sure he's doing the proper things
that he's supposed to do.
Doing good at school.
Every day that I wake up
and I come out here, you know
Fresh air. It makes me realize
how much I was missing.
I'm free.
You know, smiling.
You know, no stress.
You know.
Uh
Getting plenty of rest,
and I'm out here working.
And, uh, yeah,
I wanna be better for my kid.
I'm a gangster, you know,
so I ain't gonna fucking cry.
And if I do,
I ain't gonna let you fucking see me.
["Walk the Walk" by Art Lewy playing]
[music ends]