Pulaski County sheriff answers questions on ‘Unlocked’ Netflix series
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Pulaski County Sheriff Eric Higgins answered questions Tuesday on the popular and controversial “Unlocked” series that took place in a Pulaski County jail.
Higgins said he would not have done anything differently looking back at the release of “Unlocked: A Jail Experiment” in April. However, Higgins did say there were lessons learned because of it when answering questions from journalists on Tuesday.
He said video surveillance blind spots were discovered and deputies learned how some contraband, such as tattoo ink made from soot, was constructed and hidden.
The chart-topping Netflix series gave the world an inside look at the local jail when it first opened the cell doors to Detention Unit H and placed its deputies out of the room in spring of 2023.
“H unit is still operating with the door open. The only difference is we put the deputy back in the unit at the request of the detainees,” Higgins stated.
The eight-episode docuseries edited down eight weeks of footage into about eight hours. Higgins explained the experiment’s success has been determined by how it improves discipline and compliance compared to other units. Higgins said the H unit is the second safest block in the jail next to the voluntary reentry program which also is open-door.
A second “Unlocked” unit is opening soon. When asked why it has taken a year to do so, Higgins stated jail population and staffing were the cause. Specifically, sometimes bunks have to be put in the common area of the over-capacity detention center.
Once the new 18 detention officers who graduated in May finish training, the Q unit will start the conversion process.
Q unit will be able to house up to 79 detainees compared to the up to 46 that H unit holds.
When asked about the contract Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde called illegal, Higgins said he sees it as a “memorandum of understanding” between the Lucky 8 Productions and him. His concerns with the document were that the Sheriff’s Office could view the recorded video and that the production company understood the purpose of the show.
“Which was to humanize people in the facility and help people understand you can transform a unit,” Higgins said.
In a legislative hearing one week prior, some state senators and representatives questioned why they knew nothing of the docuseries until a trailer was released earlier this year.
Arkansas lawmakers question Pulaski County officials over ‘Unlocked’ Netflix series
The experiment was filmed a year ago, and the production company behind it first started talking with the sheriff about it two years ago.
KARK 4 News asked Higgins if it was such a success, why not talk about it more before it was unveiled to the world? He said the invitation was always open for any public official to visit.
“Communication is a two-way street and there’s a lot of things that go on that I’m unaware of that impact the Sheriff’s office, but I’m not informed either,” Higgins said.
KARK 4 News also asked Higgins about the $60,000 check Judge Hyde sent back to the production company, if the check was a surprise to Higgins and when the sheriff informed any county officials of it.
“Just when they (Lucky 8 Productions) sent the check because they had no obligation to do it,” Higgins said.
There was one question Higgins did not answer. It was about a lawsuit from a participating detainee against his agency and Lucky 8 Productions. However, the sheriff did say in the joint legislative hearing that everyone who participated in the docuseries did so voluntarily.
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