’60 Days In’ Follows Innocent Participants As They Willingly Go Undercover Behind Bars
Facing incarceration would be a scary and intense experience for anyone, so who would voluntarily subject themselves to 60 days behind bars? This is no fictional drama series, but an all too real situation and experience for seven volunteers.
60 Days In posted to their Facebook page, “What happens when seven innocent civilians pose as prisoners? Find out what really happens behind bars on the new series ?#?60DaysIn?, March 10th on A&E.”
A 60 Days In sneak peek clip included with the post reveals that the participants will be followed by over 300 cameras strategically placed within the facility. Only a few people will be aware that these men and women are volunteering for this frightening 60 Days In experiment.
What happens when 7 innocent civilians pose as prisoners? The new series #60DaysIn premieres March 10th.https://t.co/v5Di20vTjh
— A&E (@AETV) February 12, 2016
According to Deadline Hollywood, the 60 Days In docuseries was conceived by Sheriff Jamey Noel as a result of a recent history of corruption at the Clark County Jail in Jefferson, Indiana. He wants to make the jail better, and the seven 60 Days In participants are going undercover in an attempt to reveal what is going on in regard to internal issues and to discover what is really occurring behind bars. This will be no walk in the park for these 60 Days In volunteers. The Clark County Correctional Jail holds around 500 prisoners, and they will be rubbing elbows with inmates serving time for a myriad of charges, ranging from dealing drugs to capital murder.
“After recently taking office, it was no secret that the Clark County Jail had problems and we needed to take quick control. The only way to truly understand what was going on in the jail was to implement innocent participants into the system to provide first-hand unbiased intelligence. These brave volunteers helped us identify critical issues within our system that undercover officers would not have been able to find. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the success of this inaugural program,” said Sheriff Jamey Noel.
Along with Noel, Captain Scottie Maples assisted with training all seven of the 60 Days In participants to help them prepare for what could be the most frightening and dangerous experience of their lives. The 60 Days In volunteers were personally chosen by Noel to live among the facility’s general population for the duration of their stay. Officers, staff, and fellow inmates will not know the true story of why these 60 Days In participants have been incarcerated. The 60 Days In undercover participants are a diverse group, and as the cameras follow their every move, hopefully what problems this facility may have will be revealed. Viewers will also get an up-close and personal look at what it’s like to land in a cold, strange, and terrifying place.
“We are grateful to Sheriff Jamey Noel and the Clark County Jail for allowing our cameras to capture this unprecedented and trailblazing program. This provocative series will be an incredible addition to the rich non-fiction portfolio as the network continues to bring audiences cutting-edge immersive content,” Elaine Frontain Bryant, the executive vice president and head of programming for A&E, shared with Deadline Hollywood.
Entertainment Weekly noted that that a few of the 60 Days In participants include Zac, who is an ex-Marine looking to become a DEA agent; Maryum, a social worker working toward ending gang violence; and Jeff, a security guard who hopes that this experience will help him become a prison guard.
7 volunteers who have committed no crime. 60 days in an Indiana jail. Almost no one knew their real identities. https://t.co/zgFgWqeo0Q
— IndyStar (@indystar) February 12, 2016
To see how their 60 Days In experiences play out, catch this 12-episode series beginning on March 10. The two-hour series premiere of 60 Days In will air back-to-back episodes. Other episodes will air weekly beginning on March 17 at 10 p.m. ET on the A&E network. Will you be watching what promises to be an intense and riveting series? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions below.
[Image via Shutterstock]
