Update Consent

Prison Documentaries on Netflix

10 Prison Documentaries That Get Way More Real Than OITNB Ever Does

Oct 3 2018

Much like traffic accidents and celebrity Twitter wars, it's hard not to be fascinated by true crime programs. The popularity of shows such as Making a Murderer and Orange is the New Black have only increased viewers' desires to see life behind bars (though the latter program may not provide the most realistic portrait of prison life). If you want a real understanding of how the prison system works, then these 10 prison documentaries might just be for you. From a mega prison in Miami with 6,000 inmates to a small correctional facility for young women in Madison, IN, these documentaries provide all of the details of prison life that OITNB forgot to mention.

Image Source: Everett Collection

1. Inside the World's Toughest Prisons

Paul Connolly — an Irish investigative journalist, radio personality, and documentary maker — takes viewers on tours inside the most frightening prisons in the world. Connolly demonstrates what living conditions are for the inmates, as well as the guards, changing the way you think about prison forever.

Watch it now.

Image Source: Netflix

2. First and Last

Rather than tracking the day-to-day life experiences of prisoners, this docuseries offers a heartbreaking look at the two most pivotal days for individuals at Georgia's Gwinnett County Jail — their first day and their last. First and Last can be tough to watch at moments, as emotionally wrenching as it is, but few shows provide better insight into the American criminal justice system.

Watch it now.

Image Source: Netflix

3. Girls Incarcerated

Though usually you don't think of teenage girl when you think of prisoners, this docuseries does just that, profiling various young women incarcerated at a juvenile correctional facility in Madison, IN. From romances to celebrating milestones and to breaking down emotional walls, this show is far more tender than you may expect from a prison documentary.

Watch it now.

Image Source: Netflix

4. Babies Behind Bars

Far more perplexing to think about than incarcerated girls is the idea of babies behind bars. Pregnant women can be imprisoned, too, and this 2011 documentary from TLC shows what life is like for new mothers who are allowed to stay with their newborns in a prison maternity ward.

Watch it now.

Watch This!

Pop Quiz

Watch the Cast of Fear Street Play a Creepy Game of Horror Movie "Would You Rather"

5. Hard Time

This National Geographic docuseries, hosted by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, profiles daily life for both prisoners and correctional officers in some of America's toughest state prisons. Prisons visited in the show's three seasons include Hays State Prison, Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, Ross Correctional Institution, and Clark County Detention Centre.

Watch it now.

6. Lockdown

Similar to Hard Time, National Geographic's Lockdown offers an educational look into prison life, but this time with a focus on gangs and violence inside America's maximum-security prisons, where staff members face danger everyday. If you think movies and TV shows have given you a realistic idea of how prison gangs operate, then think again.

Watch it now.

7. Survivors Guide to Prison

Narrated by Susan Sarandon and formatted as a "how-to" handbook, this 2018 documentary features interviews with former inmates, police officers, court officials, lawyers, and journalists as they discuss life behind bars and the injustices of the prison system. The film largely focuses on two wrongly convicted men, Reggie Cole and Bruce Lisker, and their story.

Watch it now.

Image Source: Everett Collection

8. Lost For Life

Have you ever imagined what life without parole is like? Hosted by filmmaker Joshua Rofé, this 2013 documentary gives insight into the lives of juvenile prisoners who will be serving out life sentences, as well as into an often forgotten group — the victims' families. The result is stories that are as powerful and grim as you might expect.

Watch it now.

9. Louis Theroux: Miami Mega Jail

Hosted by documentarian Louis Theroux, this two-part docuseries tours the massive Miami-Dade County jail system, which holds upwards of 6,000 inmates. Though there isn't much intent behind Theroux's series, this show still paints a bleak and startling portrait of the disorganised system and its violent jail culture.

Watch it now.

10. They Call Us Monsters

The focus of this 2016 documentary is incarcerated young men, following three juvenile prisoners as they participate in a screenwriting class at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles while awaiting trial. Rather than portraying the grimness of life behind bars, this refreshing documentary actually introduces the idea of reform and second chances.

Watch it now.

Image Source: Everett Collection

Want More?

POPSUGAR Would Like To Send You Push Notifications.