Instant Alert: Regular people went undercover in an Atlanta jail as part of an experiment — and found one of the scariest aspects of life behind bars comes from the guards

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   Regular people went undercover in an Atlanta jail as part of an experiment — and found one of the scariest aspects of life behind bars comes from the guards by Mark Abadi on Jan 22, 2018, 5:27 PM Advertisement On A&E's "60 Days In," nine law-abiding citizens went undercover in Atlanta's Fulton County Jail. They found one of the scariest, and most dehumanizing, elements of life behind bars is raids by the guards, who are searching for weapons or contraband. The raids also serve as a demonstration of power — showing prisoners that they're at the insitution's mercy. At Atlanta's Fulton County Jail, inmates make weapons out of just about anything — plastic shards, e-cigarettes, even toothbrushes. If word gets to jail staff that one of the inmates has a contraband item, it could prompt security guards to carry out a raid of their cells. During a raid, officers with the jail's Direct Action Response Team clear out inmates from sections of the jail, frisk them, and turn over their cells in search of the contraband. Such a raid was depicted on "60 Days In," the A&E documentary series that follows nine law-abiding citizens who went undercover at Fulton County Jail for two months to expose problems from within the system. While raids are often effective in rooting out deadly weapons, the participants said, they can leave inmates feeling dehumanized and demoralized. "It was quite intimidating and disorienting to be reminded again that I am at this jail's mercy, that they can essentially do with me whatever they please," one participant, a student named Andrew, said on the show. Here's how a raid goes down at Fulton County Jail: SEE ALSO: Regular people went undercover in an Atlanta jail as part of an experiment — and for the first time in 4 years, someone blew their cover DON'T MISS: A woman who spent 2 months as an undercover inmate is now a guard at her old jail Chief Jailer Mark Adger authorized a raid when he learned that one of the inmates had fashioned a shank out of shards from a plastic cup. Raids happen without warning. Moments before the raid, officers with the Direct Action Response Team waited outside the section of the jail in question for the signal to proceed. Inmates at Fulton County Jail spend 16 hours a day locked in their cells with their cellmates. The inmates only caught wind of the raid when the doors to their cells were suddenly unlocked. See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network:    Email sent to: nguyenvu1187.love5@blogger.com   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011