Lockup Extended Stay: Wabash

Watch Lockup Extended Stay: Wabash

  • 2011
  • 1 Season

Lockup Extended Stay: Wabash is a reality television show that focuses on the real day-to-day lives of inmates inside the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, an Indiana prison that mostly houses violent offenders. The show is produced by NBC Universal and first aired in 2009.

Unlike other prison reality shows, Lockup Extended Stay: Wabash puts the spotlight squarely on the prisoners themselves, allowing them to speak freely about their experiences, their crimes, and their lives before and after incarceration. Viewers get to see how inmates live, eat, sleep, and interact with each other, as well as witness the tense moments that arise when tempers flare or rivalries break out.

Over the course of the show's multiple seasons, viewers get to know various inmates, including those near the end of their sentences as well as those serving life without parole. The camera crews follow the inmates as they go about their daily routines, whether that's working in the prison's laundry facility, attending classes, or participating in recreational activities. They also show the various security measures in place to keep the inmates safe, including cell searches, body scans, and pat-downs.

The show doesn't shy away from showing the darker side of prison life, either. Viewers get to witness the moments when inmates lash out at each other, start fights, or are caught smuggling contraband into the prison. The camera crews are also there to capture tense moments during talks with prison staff or during parole hearings.

One unique aspect of Lockup Extended Stay: Wabash is that it shows what life is like for the women inmates at the prison. The women's area is separate from the men's, and viewers get to see how the female inmates interact with each other and how they are treated differently from the male inmates.

The show's producers seem to take great care in presenting an accurate portrayal of prison life. They don't shy away from showing the darker aspects of incarceration, but they also don't sensationalize or glorify it. Instead, they let the inmates speak about their lives with honesty and authenticity, and viewers are able to see the human side of these individuals who are often demonized in the media.

Overall, Lockup Extended Stay: Wabash is a fascinating and engaging look at life inside a maximum security prison. The show may not be for everyone, as it can be intense and at times difficult to watch, but for those who are interested in understanding the realities of the criminal justice system, it is a must-see.

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Seasons
Father Figure
6. Father Figure
December 31, 2011
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison on the western edge of Indiana. It's the centerpiece of the rural town of Carlisle, where the inmate population of nearly 2200 outnumbers local residents 4 to 1. Many of Indiana's most violent offenders are sent here. In this hour, the killer of a corrections officer fights to be freed from 16 years of solitary confinement, and boyhood friends struggle to parent their kids from behind prison walls. But one, cut-off from visits with his son, is on a razor's edge. Also, a convicted murderer seeks legitimacy for a religion prison officials suspect is a front for white supremacist gangs. And we've turned our cameras over to the inmates to share personal thoughts in the privacy of their cells.
Da Future
5. Da Future
December 24, 2011
With more than 2,000 inmates, the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in southwestern Indiana has a larger population and more acreage than the rest of Carlisle, the small town in which it's located. And while Carlisle might be a remnant of a simpler time, inside the twin security fences of Wabash is evidence of how some aspects of society have grown harder. In this hour, one inmate walks a fine line between heaven and hell. And after a decade in confinement, one of Indiana's most infamous inmates moves to general population.
Close Quarters
4. Close Quarters
December 17, 2011
Indiana's Wabash Valley Correctional Facility houses nearly 2200 inmates. More than one-third of them are doing time for serious violent crimes. Unless isolated in solitary confinement, the vast majority of inmates live in two-man cells. Pairings are critical. And avoiding a volatile mix of cellmates is a constant challenge. But even with careful screening, conflicts can still arise between cellmates. In this hour, prison staff suspect an inmate is covering up his own brutal beating, two cellmates share deeply disturbing charges, and the mother of one of the victims still lives the nightmare, and plucked from Death Row, another inmate tries to make a difference.
We Fight
3. We Fight
December 10, 2011
Indiana's Wabash Valley Correctional Facility is an isolated fortress with three officers for every 200 inmates. In this hour, some inmates find themselves in racial conflict, while others seek conflict elsewhere. And, we've turned a camera over to the inmates, to record personal thoughts in private.
Skitz
2. Skitz
December 3, 2011
We profile two brothers who are paying a harsh penalty for their dealings in Meth. But Wabash also houses men doing time for far more serious crimes -- men like Jeremy Blanchard, who has served a little more than one year of a 195-year sentence. But Blanchard's facial tattoos will forever commemorate both his crime -- triple murder -- and the moniker the local media gave him, the Kokomo Slayer. Also, in this hour, a routine cell search reveals an inmate on the edge, and prison officials intervene. And we turn some of our cameras over to the inmates for a personal glimpse of their lives in prison.
Sticks and Stone
1. Sticks and Stone
November 26, 2011
On the western edge of southern Indiana is the Wabash Valley town of Carlisle, where Main Street conjures images of a bygone era. And except for the daily passing of the CSX Freight Line, this one-light town could be all but forgotten. Just a couple miles down US 41 however is evidence that Carlisle is anything but. Surrounded by little else but big skies the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility houses more than 2,000 convicted felons, including some of the highest security prisoners in the state. It is a fortress among farms. In this episode, one of Indiana's most infamous inmates tries to convince prison officials he's changed, and corrections staff investigate a potential escape plot. We've also given one of our cameras to the inmates, to tell their own stories, and one of them turns out to be a very familiar face.
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  • Premiere Date
    November 26, 2011