Young Girls in Prison is a documentary series produced by Netflix. This series of 8 episodes of 45 minutes presents the daily life of a juvenile prison in Madison, Indiana.
Unit 5 and Unit 6 of the Young Women's Prison house the Young Girls in Prison film crew. The latter tells us the evolution of the prisoners and the prison team during a few months.
The inspirations of Young Women in Prison are obvious. Orange is the new black for the female prison environment and Making a murderer for the reportage format. The series completely surfs on the success of its big sisters without ever matching them.
The series deciphers the evolution of young prisoners within the institution. There is also a follow-up after their releases. We see their desire to fight to change their lives.
Little is known about the stories of these girls. There is a lack of evidence to understand why they arrived in Madison. We can't really get fully attached because we don't know their whole journey.
The series does not always respect the reportage format. It sometimes veers a little too much towards reality TV. Moreover, it is to wonder if it is not an inspiration. Is it a desire to deal with a violent subject to please the American public who is fond of this kind of program?
Indeed, violence is very present. The place itself is a constant reminder as it is the punishment for their evil deeds. In addition, the violent and moving relationships between these poor young girls and their families are well highlighted.
Rivalries are also very highlighted. These are codes of reality TV. Once again, we wonder what is really real. But, we must remember that the cameras and technical teams are only present for a few months.
The prisoners' presentations are reminiscent of reality TV once again. The series is between two chairs. This destabilizes the viewer.
Assembly errors are very common. For example, in the next episode we find girls who come out of prison and have continued their studies.
Journalists' questions are heard on screen and this reinforces a reality TV effect, which discredits Young Girls in Prison. It doesn't feel like you're seeing a documentary but a reality show.
Identification is very easy with these girls but also with the supervising team. We feel that the teachers are there because they love their job. The departure of the first female prisoner counselor caused a lot of tears. The emotion felt when he left is really very touching and realistic.
Hope is very present in the series. The latter highlights the professionalism of the prison team.The prisoners feel supported by her. So much so that we sometimes wonder if it is not advertising for this establishment.
The stories of the prisoners are very much put forward so that we get attached to them. One wonders what their purpose is when they agreed to appear in such a series. Is it to tell their stories and thus raise awareness among potential offenders? Or to have their quarters of an hour of glory?
The series is not very clear on the subject and it is true that, once again, the realization of the series baffles us.
The desire to surf on the success of Netflix series already existing is palpable. Young Girls in Prison feels like seeing a crossover between Orange Is The New Black, Making a Murderer and a reality show. The editing errors in the last episodes make us completely disconnect from the series.
