LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Pulaski County Sheriff Eric Higgins addressed several concerns he'd heard from the public Tuesday morning regarding the Netflix docuseries Unlocked: A Jail Experiment.
Higgins said it was a success when asked how he felt about the experiment's outcome.
"We can do things differently," Higgins said. "We can create a community that's a safer community, not only for the deputies, but for the detainees."
It's been a month since Unlocked: A Jail Experiment premiered. Since then, county and state officials have expressed backlash.
"I was disappointed in that," Higgins said. "With hope that we focus on the positive side of what we're doing and how it truly transforms our facility."
In response, Higgins held a press conference to address any questions.
Higgins said he was approached by Lucky 8 to do the series after they discovered the success of the sheriff's re-entry program.
The re-entry program allows inmates to learn skills and access resources for when they leave jail. Higgins said the program has a 4% recidivism rate compared to the state average of around 50%.
Higgins also said Lucky 8 was not obligated to give them money, but when the agreement was signed, the production company was to pay $1,000 for each inmate in the show.
"There was no obligation for them to do that," Higgins said. "That was something they wanted to put in the agreement that they wanted to do."
After the docuseries premiered on Netflix, Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde returned the $60,000 check to Lucky 8.
In the meantime, Higgins was tasked with answering questions from Pulaski County officials.
The latest round of questions was submitted to Pulaski County officials Monday night. We are told that around 1,000 pages of information must go through a review process before it can be released to the public.
However, Higgins revealed some of those concerns at the press conference.
One issue was that some inmates allowed on camera had serious charges. Higgins clarified that an inmate came into the jail with a rape charge, but it was dismissed.
Another concern was the possibility of a sexual assault in the cell during filming. The sheriff said it did not occur in that unit.
Higgins also said that despite what the Netflix series didn't show, all security checks and protocols were followed.
The jail continues to have open doors in H Unit where filming took place. The only thing that has changed is a deputy is in the pod.
"If the tablets aren't working right, if the phones aren't working, or a code isn't working, or if they have questions about their case, they can ask the deputy about information," Higgins said.
Higgins is now expanding this experiment to another unit that is twice as big as the H Unit.