Netflix has released the second season of its true crime series Unlocked: A Jail Experiment, which follows inmates granted increased freedom within a correctional facility. The show documents a six-week period where selected prisoners self-govern under reduced supervision, though Sheriff Eric Higgins clarified to Tudum that facilities are never completely unmanned.
Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple, who took over from predecessor Mark Lamb, inherited an agreement with a production company to film the experiment. Teeple, a former Navy officer, told inmaricopa.com there were moments he considered shutting down the project due to risks. He hopes the series sparks broader discussions about prison operations, stating: 'At the end of the day, this was an experiment we tried, we learned from, and that will make our jail safer for staff and inmates.'
Inmate Ronald 'AO' Dunmire, who frequently faced solitary confinement for disrespecting correctional officers, has since changed his behaviour for his family. Now at the Arizona State Prison Complex, he works as a groundskeeper and has enrolled in work and self-improvement courses, aiming to reintegrate into society and spend time with his four children.
Another participant, Woody, fell into drug use after a stable family life. Now 40, he is serving time at the Lewis Corrections Department but has achieved sobriety and reconnected with his daughters. He has taken on various prison roles while completing his nine-year sentence.
Ronald 'Irish' Stricklett, in his sixties, is incarcerated at the Lewis Corrections Department until November 2026. He has joined work programmes including the New Beginnings Through Peers scheme, expressing a desire to embrace a new perspective on life. Shane 'Hondo' Tipton also shared his battle with addiction, emphasising that progress required self-discipline.
