Louis Theroux: Miami Mega-Jail(2011)

Name: Louis Theroux: Miami Mega-Jail
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2011-05-22
Rating: 3.7

May 22, 20111 Season · 2 Episodes

Ended

Documentary

3.7from 28 users

Overview

Louis takes an in-depth look at Miami's jail system, a vast holding pen for the unconvicted where most inmates are awaiting trial.

Network BBC Two

Seasons

Miniseries

2 Episodes

2011

E01

Part 1

5/22/2011·60m

Louis spends time in one of the most notorious sections of Miami County Jail: the fifth and sixth floor of 'Main Jail', where many of the most volatile inmates are incarcerated. Held in large cage-like dwellings for up to 24 men, the inmates have developed a strange and violent jail culture. The men - who remain in the cells almost all the time and may only leave for yard time twice a week - live under the sway of a gladiatorial code. They fight each other for food, for status, and often just to pass the endless hours of confinement. Trips to the infirmary are a frequent occurrence as inmates are viciously attacked and beaten, but the guards say they are powerless to end the abuse.

E02

Part 2

5/29/2011·60m

Louis goes deeper into the jail system, meeting an alleged triple murderer facing a possible death sentence. He also follows a group of forty or so younger inmates who have escaped prison by pleading guilty and agreeing to attend a four-month military-style boot camp. Among them is a 14-year-old boy facing a possible ten-year sentence for armed robbery if he can't survive the boot camp's relentless and brutal training and indoctrination programme. Many will drop out and receive prison sentences, but for a handful this will be their second chance at life.