Prison Reality Shows to Stream to Make Yourself Happy You're Not in Prison
You do not want to go to prison. You may want to see what prison is like without having to go behind bars.
Published Feb. 15 2024, 10:03 a.m. ET
Host Raphael Rowe on Inside The World's Toughest Prisons
In case you need a reminder, you do not want to end up in prison. In case you need a reminder that’s more than words, there’s reality TV. So much reality TV set in and around prisons. So much reality TV that's actual reality.
We’ve rounded up seven reality shows set in prisons around the world. Whether you’re looking to be scared straight or want to live like a prison tourist, there’s something for everyone. Well, everyone is willing to consider at least going to prison.
Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons
'Beyond Scared Straight'
A&E’s Beyond Scared Straight ran from 2011 to 2015. Inspired by the 1978 documentary Scared Straight!, the reality show centers around teens headed down the wrong path. If you watched Maury in the '00s and enjoyed the segments of kids talking back, you might like Beyond Scared Straight.
It’s 43 minutes of prisoners advising, or traumatizing, not-yet-adults on why they should change. If you need more scaring, there’s also Beyond Scared Straight: Back Talk and Beyond Scared Straight: Extreme Teens.
Seasons 2, 4 and 8 of Beyond Scared Straight are available on Hulu, all seasons available on the Beyond Scared Straight Roku channel.
'Girls Incarcerated: Young and Locked Up'
If you enjoy Beyond Scared Straight and want to see what might have happened to some of the subjects, put on Girls Incarcerated: Young and Locked Up. The Netflix series was a bit less sensational than the prison shows from networks like A&E and Lifetime. It ran for two, eight-episode seasons, one in 2018 and another in 2019.
It followed a group of inmates in juvenile correctional facilities each season, focusing less on the stereotypical fights and more on progress and hope of release.
Both seasons of Girls Incarcerated are available on Netflix.
'Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons'
While there are many prison shows centered around inmates and the people who love them, there aren’t many centered around actual prisons. Enter Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons. The Netflix series is part Anthony Bourdain-style travel show, part real-life Oz. If you have an international penchant for prison discovery, look no further. The most recent season finds host Raphael Rowe inside prisons in Finland, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, and the Solomon Islands.
All seven seasons are available on Netflix.
'JAIL'
Sometimes you know what a show will be about just by its title. That’s extremely true with JAIL (ALL CAPS!). The show ran for five seasons on three different networks. You may have heard of it because it was done by the same folks that made Cops (they sure do like one-word titles) and the booking of O.J. Simpson into the Clark County Detention Center was featured in the show’s first season.
Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 5 of JAIL are available on Plex. All seasons are available on REELZ.
'Lockup'
For 25 seasons from 2005 to 2017, Lockup was omnipresent on MSNBC. This prison reality show is most likely what you think of when you think of a prison reality show. Each episode features an inmate or two and their day-to-day realities behind bars. There are hearings, visits from family and friends, interactions with other inmates, etc. What Cops is to shows about crime, Lockup is to shows about prison.
Also, don’t forget about the Lockup extended universe. If you need more than the 237 episodes of Lockup classic, there’s also Lockup: Raw, Lockup: World Tour, Lockup: Extended Stay, Lockup: Disturbing the Peace, Lockup: Special Investigation, and Life After Lockup.
50 episodes of Lockup are available on Peacock.
'Prison Brides'
The newest show in our roundup, Prison Brides premiered on Lifetime on January 10, 2024. Where most other shows are about the prisoner, this one focuses on the women who love the men inside (thus far the series has only featured male prisoners). One of the interesting aspects of the show is all of the brides hail from outside America. In the first five episodes, we’ve seen brides from Australia, Germany, Lithuania, Romania, and the United Kingdom.
Prison Brides is available on Lifetime.
'60 Days In'
While Beyond Scared Straight only ran for four years on A&E, the network has definitely not left the yard. One of their current hits is 60 Days In. The series has aired since March 2016 with no signs of stopping. The network describes the show, “60 Days In follows seven brave participants as they go behind bars on an undercover mission to evoke change.”
A mixture of Big Brother, The Real World and, you know, jail, the show is a hit, currently in its eighth season, airing in over 100 countries.
If you enjoy 60 Days In, you’ll want to check out A&E’s other prison-related show, Booked: First Day In. It’s not exactly a prison show, it’s a right-before-you-get-to-prison show.
The first 6 seasons of 60 Days In are available on Tubi, and all seasons are available on A&E.
If you find yourself feeling like you're in prison after watching a few thousand hours of prison reality shows, there are always dependable fictional prison-based TV shows like Orange is the New Black, Oz, Prison Break, and more.
