Ep 7. The Life Ahead

As the Girls Incarcerated enters its second season, viewers are once again taken inside the walls of the Madison Juvenile Correctional Facility in Indiana for a sobering look at what life is like for teenage girls caught in the juvenile justice system. The residents of the facility are representative of what Juvenile justice across the country currently deals with: adolescent minors who have been accused or convicted of serious crimes. At the center of the show stands the hopeful premise that these young women might be able to turn their lives around. Each of the eight episodes provides a snapshot of life inside the facility, featuring interviews with the girls themselves as well as a handful of staff.

Episode 7, entitled 'The Life Ahead', frames the individual girls' stories within the broader framework of the facility's programs. The themes of this episode are of growth, transformation, and the long, long road to meaningful change. The part of the episode starts with the girls waking up early around 5:45 am, the Correctional Facility is designed in a way that the girls adhere to a fixed, structured routine to ensure no time is wasted. What that means for the residents is that they need to get up, dressed, and ready for breakfast and chores by 7 am every day. From there, they attend classes, partake in group therapy sessions, and eventually have some free time to hang out with each other with some restriction.

Throughout the episode, we see how the structure of the facility is designed to help the girls by giving them support. One scene depicts a talk-show styled panel run exclusively by the girls themselves where the residents are able to ask their peers and a handful of staff members about sensitive subjects like addiction, self-harm, and mental health issues. It offers a window into the many challenges they face (both inside and outside the walls of the facility) but also the resilience they possess.

Another scene shows the girls interacting with a local organization that provides horses as a therapeutic medium. The girls learn about the equines as living beings, and practice developing a relationship of trust and respect with the animals, this program is developed to reinforce the residents' social-emotional learning, place special emphasis on teamwork, trust, confidence, self-awareness, and problem-solving skills, it helps the residents of the correctional tool to undergo rehabilitation in which the girls gain social skills,. The scene is both uplifting and poignant, as we see the girls genuinely connect with the horses and share some of their own stories.

Throughout the episode, we see that the girls are trying to avoid falling back into their previous habits and mindset. They are constantly reminded that their stay in the facility is temporary, and are encouraged to think about the lives they want for themselves once they have served their time. The young residents are shown to be ambitious and determined, trying to focus on their studies or complete vocational training programs. By attending such programs, the girls strive to make a new life for themselves.

Overall, the episode is an uplifting look at the incredible perseverance of some of the girls, all of whom face insurmountable challenges and adversity. But even while celebrating the good work being done at Madison Juvenile Correctional Facility, the show never forgets what brings each of these girls here in the first place. Though it is hard to watch at times, Girls Incarcerated shows how (with the right attitude, support, environment, and mindset) young women can be empowered to take control of their lives, no matter what the present circumstances may be.