First and Last

Honestly it's not my favourite prison documentary by a long stretch of the imagination. It's very stylised and has music playing over the different scenes and the cinematography doesn't suit this type of fly on the wall image it's probably trying to get at. also i prefer (personally) to see the lives of prisoners once they're in jail and have been living there for a long time. The process or arrival and leaving, honestly isn't as interesting as that. The inbetween stories which are lacking would have been more interesting. However with all that said its a half decent documentary to have playing in the background while doing something else.

First And Last is yet another prison documentary like there seem to be dozens of lately. To be honest I would watch them all as I find that entertaining television. Garbage tv to some and I get that but still entertaining nonetheless. This time it's about the Gwinnett County jail, another perfect example of the money making failing prison system in America. It's all about making as much money possible, arresting people for the most ridiculous things and trying them to post bail as soon as possible. I don't say some don't deserve to be there but certainly not all of them. Let just say if you're rich in America there is only a very tiny chance you will ever see the prison walls. Poor people on the contrary are just doomed to become one of the statistics of the overpopulated prisons. The documentary is well made, with good interviews from prisoners to prison staff. Rehabilitation isn't the priority of the American prison system. People will end up again in prison, it's just a vicious circle there, only a few will learn a lesson.

The title says it all. I was in the mood for some "turn your brain off" TV and clicked on the show and was very pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't just hyped up drama and false cliffhangers you get from cable reality TV.

In fact, this show is more akin to a documentary then reality TV. The cinematography is excellent. the show creators dive deep into their human subjects and extract real substance rather than just shallow drama.

Everything felt like it was done with care rather than just shock value.

Of course, the show still sticks to its premise and only follows people on their first few days and last few days which means you're not going to get the entire full picture of each individual represented.

But despite that you get a very flushed out snapshot of every inmate featured.

Definitely an interesting watch with A little bit of food for thought. Show could've gone a little deeper but I don't think you can really expect much more out of a prison TV show then this.

60 Days in on its own isn't amazing, but it's an interesting look into prison with intriguing character development.

"First and Last" milks the least interesting exposition portions of 60 Days in and turns it into the entire series. Every episode is a different set of inmates so you can't follow the characters and their experiences. It doesn't show the life inside the prison, so it provides no insight into the life of an inmate.

I don't understand how this has any value over more in-depth shows like "Beyond Scared Straight" or "60 Days In"

If you have watched one of the many other jail/prison series out there these days, you will have a decent idea what to expect from this series. The one thing I would say about this series is that they make everyone human. They don't glorify the prisoners, or bash them for their crimes. They make the guards more than just narrators for what goes on in the prison. Worth a watch if you like this type a show, better than most out there.