60 Days In: Truth Or Dare

Tonight on 60 days In the first five participants enter the jail. But first, Gerson, the youth minister from El Salvador has a change of heart and drops out of the program. He was very nervous about prospect in the first episode. To me this made his smarter than the ones going in all cocky.  Gerson says that Fulton County Jail is a lot rougher than the Clark County Jail used in previous episodes. I’m glad Gerson is tapping out.

Zone 600

Jon, our pretty boy paramedic is the first to be placed into a cell. He has no knowledge of Fulton County Jail, so he about to get a big education. He is going into the zone where the old men are housed. Why? He walked into cell 605. He currently does not have a  cellmate. I am typing while watching, but I did not see another white face in his area.

The men are locked up in tiny two bed cells 20 hours a day. It’s time to let them out. Jon will have his first time in the day room.  Seconds after he sits down, one of the few white guys in the room approaches him and asks what he is in for. I should mention the white guy is gay. This could be problematic. Don’t believe me? Ask Brian, the corrections lawyer from California who was mercilessly sexually harassed in a much easier prison.  The guy introduces himself as CJ and Jon wanders off after him like a puppy dog.  Another white guy named Brandon shows up and he has been welcomed to his people. Jon is already giving away food.

DelRico is the pod boss in 600. He rules with and iron fist and has many altercations with inmates to keep them in line.  He’s very intimidating.

Don is the next volunteer inmate we see rolling in. He’s married with four kids and his father and brother have both done time. His purpose for doing this is to help reform the prison system.  It occurs to me this season everyone is local to the area.  They may get family visits. Don has an attitude with the corrects officers already. He doesn’t want to be told what to do.  Um, dude. Welcome to jail, Don. DelRico will be your greeter. Don goes into 607 and his cellmates stuff is on the top bunk. He moves it down to his bunk. That was a mistake.  HOLY SHIT! DelRico is his cellmate. He’s gonna get his ass whooped day one! DelRico’s first words to Don were, “Man, you just fucked up!”

500 Zone

It looks like Calvin  the married SPED teacher and father of three is the next to subject himself to this. His cover is fraud and credit card fraud.  Calvin is hoping that his experience will be of some help to end the many wrongful shooting of black men by the police.  Calvin walks into cell 507 were there is a man asleep on the bottom bunk. He rolls out his matt on the top bunk and immediately doubts that he wants to do this. These cells are hot and tiny with no windows. There is one metal bunk bed, a table a stool and a toilet.  The man in the bed below asks if he is stressing about being in.  Calvin says he is. The guy  is in for armed robbery by force. It’s 19. Calvin says he’s just a baby!  He meant it nicely but the cellmate cusses him out.

South Annex

The women are housed on the south annex. They were transported in tiny van with bars all around it. There were so many women shoved into the hot space I wondered if it was legal to transport that many prisoners at once. Watching it made me claustrophobic and anxious.  Jessica is our girl in this van. She’s the woman to found her husband in prison. Last week I questioned if she was smart enough to survive this. I hope she is.  She will be staying on I-Pod.  Then men are housed in cells of two, the women are housed in pods of 8.  When she arrives to her pod, there is one open bed; however, another inmate known to be the fighter of the pod, named Lyric is using it as her vanity/pantry.  Jessica just drops her mattress on the ground. We hear from other actual inmates about Lyric. She’s trouble. I already don’t like Colonel Mark. He’s the man in charge and he says that I-Pod is drama and fighting all day. Dude, that’s on you! When Lyric arrives she is smartassy nice to Jessica. This is not good.

Jessica sits to herself quietly and observes her dayroom. She sees Lyric palming a pill from another inmates medication. The girls take the pill and mix it with coffee and candy and Lyric kindly shares with all of her podmates. Jessica politely declines. Lyric suggests that Jessica needs the whole jail experience. Jessica remains steadfast and says she’s good.

Soon production shows up to interview everyone and Jessica approaches a producer right away wanting to talk.  Jessica says she is not in distress, she just has to tell them how much drugs are in the pod. She says the trustees are the ones bringing the drugs in.

Next in is Michelle. She is the one I said would tap out on day one in my last recap. The producers are worried about her before she even goes in. The participants and in under assumed names. Because of that they can’t get medical treatment without tapping out. Michelle is having a panic attack and I don’t blame her, I would be too. I’m having one for her at the moment. There is a fine line between stupid and brave and this show is right on that line. She needs to tap. But she doesn’t.

Unlike Jessica, Michelle is transported by herself to the jail. Maybe the stifling van ride is after the group shower and cavity search. Yep, that cramped ride while shackled is a forty five minute drive to the annex. They would have to drug me or knock me out. I could not do this ride. Michelle is going to freak the fuck out. Was that Michelle or another inmate who said they were in for murder? That’s a bad cover story if that is Michelle’s.

Michelle actually made it to the I-Pod.  In her pod of eight, she is the only white person. They are not quite as nice to her as Jessica’s group was to her. They immediately inform her that everyone in this pod likes pussy. They lick nipples and pussy all night. Great. Send me to do drugs with Lyric. Later her podmates play poker. It’s a cross between strip poker and truth or dare. The winner of the game chooses a sex act for the losers to perform.  I’ve seen Locked Up Abroad episodes that seem like easier time than this. Since they were locked down another white girl is in the cell. Michelle doesn’t play cards but everyone else does. The losers all have to strip. The other white girl is resisting. The other girls all run around nekkid screaming at the top of their lungs. Someone actually comes on the intercom to tell them to shut the fuck up.

Next Week:  When production pulls out Calvin for an interview, his roommate immediately suspects he’s an informant. Don’s cover story doesn’t fly with DelRico. There is a giant beat down in the South Annex.  The remaining three inmates are booked in.