Netflix’s Unlocked: A Jail Experiment chronicles revolutionary changes to incarceration taking place at select prisons in the U.S.
The second season of Unlocked: A Jail Experiment — which premiered January 7, 2026 — examines whether jails and prisons can successfully lower violence and recidivism if inmates are allowed more personal freedom and self-governance.
Sheriff Ross Teeple initially faced pushback from inmates and his own staff when he instituted a six-week program to unlock the prison cells and allowed inmates to settle their disputes internally.
“We’ve had a wave of violence and drugs but if we let the inmates start to accept responsibility, they start caring about the community as a whole,” Sheriff Teeple explained. “If it works, it’s a breakthrough. If it fails, we’d be making things a lot worse.”
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Keep scrolling for more information about the gripping docuseries below.
What Is Netflix’s ‘Unlocked: A Jail Experiment’ and Is It Real?
Yes, Unlocked: A Jail Experiment documents real events. Both seasons of Unlocked: A Jail Experiment revolve around authorities instituting radical changes in detention policy in an effort to decrease violence and discourage inmates from reoffending.
According to the series, some inmates can spend up to 23 hours a day locked in their cells so prison officials can stop the spread of violence.
The first season of Unlocked took place at Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, where Sheriff Eric Higgins sought to create a greater sense of community among inmates as part of a six-week program. Higgins agreed to unlock cell doors and offer inmates autonomy as part of his experiment.
The second season followed a similar format as Sheriff Ross Teeple, of Pinal County Jail in Arizona, instituted a complete overhaul of incarceration policy for one pod of inmates. A six-week experiment saw cell doors unlocked and guards removed from inside the dorms to see whether inmates reduce violence on their own and commit to reforming.
“The prison system, it’s the Wild West in some aspects,” Sheriff Teeple admitted on Unlocked. “The more you lock a pod down, the more tension and anxiety will exist. So, if we want real change, we have to try something bold.”
What Happens in ‘Unlocked: A Jail Experiment’ Season 2?
Season 2 of Unlocked: A Jail Experiment begins with Sheriff Ross Teeple facing opposition from both his staff and inmates at Pinal County Jail over his radical revision of incarceration strategy.
“We got a little experiment,” he told the inmates. “We’re gonna open up, we’re gonna step out and let you guys control your environment. You can start building the skills you need so you don’t have to come back to my jail.”
Officer Castenada, a guard in the facility, later admitted, “I don’t believe it’s gonna work because if they think, ‘I can get away with this. I can get away with that,’ what else are they gonna get away with?”
“Let me out of that cage, you just made me worse,” inmate Ronald ‘AO’ Dunmire warned early on.
A scene from “Unlocked: A Jail Experiment” season 2 Courtesy Netflix/YouTubeJust because Pinal County Jail allowed its inmates more control over their daily living doesn’t mean that the facility was lawless. The sheriff and his team are shown constantly monitoring events from a control room, with a staff of heavily-armed guards standing by to take back control if necessary.
Throughout season 2, Unlocked showcased the ways some inmates genuinely try to foster a more communal environment in their pods while others test the limits of what they can get away with. Racial tension underscored many of the disputes in the pod, so certain prisoners were mandated to help settle these disagreements.
“We don’t like other races putting a hand on our people,” one inmate admitted. “It’ll cause a riot.”
What Happens at the End of ‘Unlocked: A Jail Experiment’ Season 2?
The final episodes of Unlocked: A Jail Experiment revolved around Sheriff Ross Teeple weighing whether or not to continue the program.
“There are things that happen in this pod that I’m not happy with,” he admitted. “But there’s a lot of things that happened in this pod that I am happy with.”
The sheriff told inmates, “I want this to be a step to wherever your next stage in life is, wherever you are transitioning to.”
With 48 hours to go in the experiment, Sheriff Teeple admitted to the inmates that he is undecided over whether to continue his new rules. He asked the inmates to come up with compelling arguments about “moving forward” with their increased freedom.
The following day, inmates spoke up during their meeting with the sheriff to thank him for giving them more autonomy. Several of them assured Sheriff Teeple that they feel optimistic about their lives outside of incarceration for the first time.
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“Take a look at the men in front of you, sir,” inmate KJ told Sheriff Teeple. “None of us are the same men who walked through these doors six weeks ago. … It’s our mission to make the world a better place and we feel like this program has some merit to it.”
The inmates aren’t the only ones impressed by the program. Officer Castaneda — who was highly skeptical at the beginning of the season — now described the sheriff’s strategy as “great for the community and these guys that want change within their life.”
Later, a poignant moment showcased just how much had changed at Pinal County Jail when inmates of all races came together to say a prayer.
After consulting with his command staff, Sheriff Teeple brought the inmates together one final time to reveal his final decision. He told the inmates that it’s clear some of them were genuinely trying to reform, while others were simply “gaming the system.”
However, the sheriff ultimately announced, “We’re gonna keep the doors unlocked. Let’s continue on with this.”
His announcement was greeted with loud cheers and even a standing ovation from some inmates. A postscript on the season 2 finale stated that “the sheriff’s program continues and is still producing results for both inmates and the jail.”
What Are the Updates on Little Rock Jail Since ‘Unlocked: A Jail Experiment’ Season 1 Ended?
Sheriff Eric Higgins offered an encouraging update on Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility one year after filming wrapped on Unlocked: A Jail Experiment season 1.
“It’s still operating, it’s still unlocked,” he told KATV in January 2026. “It’s still one of the safest units in the facility. We are bringing programming into that unit. So it’s a successful experiment. It works. It worked. So it’s going well.”
The sheriff assured the outlet that he had absolutely no regrets about letting Netflix cameras document the success and failures of the program.
“I’d still let them come in, because I had a conversation with the production company, and the idea was to show something different,” he added. “My goal was to humanize people in jail and show that if you raise expectations, they will meet them. And that’s exactly what occurred. I think some of the controversy over it was from people who didn’t watch it and didn’t understand what was going on.”
Sheriff Higgins confirmed changes have been made to the strategy, including bringing a deputy and reentry staff back to the unit as “a resource.”
Seasons 1 and 2 of Unlocked: A Jail Experiment are available to stream via Netflix.
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