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Reality TV: Prison shows break new ground with female inmates

More women are seen in prison shows such as 'Cell Block 6: Female Lock Up,' 'Babies Behind Bars' and 'Beyond Scared Straight.' With them comes more emphasis on rehabilitation and transformation.

May 15, 2011|By Robert Ito, Special to the Los Angeles Times

One of the most intriguing characters in "Breaking Down the Bars" is a young mother named Tiffany who, when the series begins, is due to be released in three months but seems to be doing everything in her power to sabotage her homecoming. She fights with her prison mates and gets sent to a segregation unit three days before her scheduled release date after a tussle with the guards.

Her behavior is as frustrating as it is inexplicable, and on a lot of prison shows the story might have ended there. But through the prodding of counselors and case workers, Tiffany's past is slowly revealed: Her father was murdered by her mother when she was 4. Sexually abused by her brother at 11. Gang raped at 17. "Dr. Covington was able to unlock some things that they had never talked about before," says Drachkovitch.

There's an ever-replenishing supply of stories like Tiffany's to fuel any number of prison shows, and both Shapiro and Drachkovitch have ideas for second seasons should their series get renewed. Drachkovitch is looking at prisons in Alaska and Hawaii; Shapiro hopes for more episodes in Chowchilla.

"You see them hit rock bottom," Drachkovitch says when asked about the appeal of such shows. "There's mail call, and everybody gets a letter, but their mother doesn't write them. You get the inmate who calls home for support, and the mother won't accept the collect call. And then you see a woman get her GED. You see the highs and lows."

calendar@latimes.com

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