Featured Image Credit: Fox 16 / Netflix
Topics: Netflix, Crime, Psychology, Film and TV
Michael Slavin
Topics: Netflix, Crime, Psychology, Film and TV
A mother has spoken out after seeing her son's accused killer on a new Netflix series, saying how 'incredibly hard' it has been for her to watch.
Unlocked: A Jail Experiment is dominating Netflix right now, coming in at #2 in the US behind only the cultural phenomenon that is Baby Reindeer.
The show involves running an experiment whereby inmates were left to run jail, without guards or locks.
While many have found it emotional seeing prisoners get given a chance to present themselves in a more humane light, some are finding the Netflix show hard to watch, seeing people who committed violent crimes being presented in a sympathetic light.
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And one woman has now responded after a man accused of killing her son appeared in the show.
The inmate in question is Jordan Parkinson, who was charged with the capital murder murder of Jadon Shackleford in 2022.
Jadon's mother, Hailey Shackleford, spoke to Fox 16 where she said it was incredibly hard to see Parkinson in the show.
She said: “I have not been able to finish the whole thing. I’ve started it and stopped it many times.
“I understand they’re trying to make a show but there are real people involved and real people that are hurting seeing one of the people that murdered my son doing an experiment and getting gifts and free phone calls and all this stuff when I can never call my child again.”
Hailey does not believe that rewards should be doled out to those behind bars.
She said she doesn’t think ‘someone that’s done such a violent crime should get any sort of reward.’
The mother went on to state that she wishes she had been warned before the show aired, as she actually hadn't been aware of its existence until it was released.
She added: “If it’s hurting me, I know it’s doing the same to other families.”
The experiment lasted six weeks, with Parkinson being released on bond. He later had the charges against him dropped in exchange for his cooperation with law enforcement.
The verdict on the show is decidedly split. One account quoted the interview on X (formerly known as Twitter), to say: “All I could think of while watching this. Where’s the justice?”
One poster on the subreddit r/netflix, however, commented on a thread stating they believed the show does a good job of humanizing prisoners.
They said: “I worked in prisons similar to this, we had the worst of the worst, and this is very accurate in a lot of ways. I do like how it humanizes prisoners.
“Yeah they screwed up and made some mistakes, 20 seconds cost them the rest of their lives.
“Yes they deserve to be where they are, but they're still human with lives and feelings and they're in a very difficult place to live.”
UNILAD has contacted Netflix for comment.