60 Days In

Did You Know?

• The code phrases for volunteers to be extricated from jail were 'good coffee' or 'hot coffee'.
• During season 4, women's pod participant Angel Cooper started a relationship with another inmate, causing the program to end early.
• On October 31, 2020, Nate Burrell, a Season 3 and 4 participant, died by suicide after being charged with five felony charges of rape and assault.

Premise

Seven individuals volunteer to go undercover, spending 60 days as prison inmates to obtain evidence of questionable or illegal activities within the jail that might be missed by correctional officers and surveillance systems. The existence of the undercover program is kept secret from inmates, guards, and most jail officials. Before entering, volunteers receive instruction on how to act around other inmates and are given a pseudonym and a cover story, including details of the fake criminal charges on which they were arrested. The first two seasons took place in the Clark County Jail in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Maryum Ali was given an alias because of her famous father, boxer Muhammad Ali; volunteer Robert also used an alias and would blow his cover if he visited an emergency room and gave his real name. A second season was produced before the series premiered because producers realized it would be difficult for volunteers to remain undercover after the first season aired. Multiple corrections officers were fired due to the program. Valid legal releases to appear on television were obtained from inmates, but they were not told the actual reason the releases were needed. The series revealed the importance of tater tots, which were frequently served on meal trays and occasionally used as currency by inmates.

Cast

Jamey Noel served as sheriff of Clark County, Indiana. Scottie Maples, a public information officer, briefed volunteers before the program and debriefed them afterward. Participants included Maryum May May Ali (alias Yasmin Brown), a social worker; Barbra Roylance Williams (alias Barbara Weldon), an author; Tami Ferraiuolo (alias Tami Ferguson), a former police officer; Jeffrey Downs, a security officer; Robert Holcomb, a teacher who spent a month in solitary confinement during his five-week stay for covering a security camera with a towel; Isaiah Jenkins, a recent high school graduate and brother of a current inmate; Zachary Baker (alias Zac Holland), a veteran; Ashleigh Marie (Park) Baker, Zachary Baker's wife, an alcoholic and addict who had been sober for four years before appearing; Brian Thomas (alias J.D.), an attorney for the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation's Office of Legal Affairs who exited after one week due to severe hazing; Chris Graf, who left within 24 hours after becoming violently ill and suffering severe panic attacks; and Dion Shepherd Jr., a criminology student from Detroit who grew up one of nine siblings and was about to receive a master's degree in criminology, Law and Society.

Reception

Amy Amatangelo of The Hollywood Reporter gave the first season a positive review, calling it fascinating, frightening, and eye-opening. Brian Lowry of Variety gave a mixed review, criticizing Sheriff Jamey Noel and the participants but praising the show for creating tension in conjuring the threat of violence. Andy Dehnart of Reality Blurred gave the first season an extremely negative review, calling the premise flimsy and ludicrous and criticizing the characterization of men's pod participant Robert. The show has garnered controversy over alleged fabrication of events. Season 1 participant Robert Holcomb accused the show of heavily editing content, stating that inmates were made to look like animals when in reality they were kind human beings suffering from drug problems. DiAundré Newby, a Clark County Jail inmate featured in season 1, accused the show of editing an altercation to fit a narrative surrounding Robert. Alan, a Season 4 participant, quit his job as a police officer in Texas after appearing, saying he could not arrest someone for a small amount of weed and put them in such a place.