Ep 1. Meet the Participants / Re-entry

In season 2 of the hit documentary series 60 Days In, viewers are treated to an inside look at life inside one of America's most notorious jails: the Clark County jail in Jeffersonville, Indiana. With each episode, we follow a team of regular citizens who have signed up to be undercover inmates, gathering information about jail life and helping the jail staff identify and address problems within the system.

In the premiere episode Meet the Participants / Re-entry, we are introduced to the nine new men and women who will be spending the next two months living and working inside Clark County's walls. Each participant has their own reason for signing up for this dangerous program, but all share a common goal of making a difference in the lives of the people who are trapped behind bars.

One of the first participants we meet is Quintin, a former Marine who hopes to use his military training and discipline to survive jail life. He's quickly paired up with Ashley, a woman who has worked as a corrections officer before, but has never been on the other side of the bars. Together, they form a powerful team that looks like it might be able to handle the challenges that await them.

We also meet Brian, a stay-at-home dad who is motivated by a desire to make a difference in the world. As a self-professed "nice guy," he knows he'll have to toughen up in order to survive alongside some of the more hardened inmates. Meanwhile, his fellow participant Angele has a more personal reason for wanting to go undercover: she has a sister who is currently incarcerated, and wants to better understand the world her sibling has been living in.

As the episode continues, we see the participants undergo a rigorous training program designed to prepare them for jail life. They learn the ins and outs of the correctional facility, as well as ways to avoid dangerous situations and stay out of trouble. The training is intense, but necessary -- after all, these are regular people who will be living in a world where violence and conflict are common.

One of the biggest challenges the participants face is dealing with the boredom and isolation that comes with being behind bars. They're cut off from their families, their friends, and the outside world -- all while being surrounded by people who might be hostile or dangerous. As they settle in to their new surroundings, they realize that they'll need to find ways to keep themselves occupied and mentally engaged if they want to stay sane.

Another major focus of Meet the Participants / Re-entry is the issue of re-entry. Many of the inmates at Clark County have been in and out of jail several times, and have struggled to reintegrate into society once they're released. The participants are keenly aware of this problem, and are motivated to find ways to help inmates prepare for life on the outside. They start by connecting with the jail's education program, trying to get a sense of what kinds of classes and resources are available to inmates who want to improve their chances of success after release.

All in all, Meet the Participants / Re-entry sets the stage for what promises to be an intense and thought-provoking season of 60 Days In. With a diverse group of participants and a focus on the challenges of re-entry, this season is sure to shed light on some of the most pressing problems facing the American criminal justice system today.