The streaming service Netflix has released The New Stanford Prison Experiment, a six-episode reality series based on the well-known 1971 psychological study. At the time, Stanford University professor Philip Zimbardo recruited 24 students, randomly divided them into "prisoners" and "guards," and placed them in a mock prison. The experiment, designed to last two weeks, had to be stopped on the sixth day: the "guards" began showing sadistic tendencies, and the "prisoners" suffered nervous breakdowns. The study is regarded as one of the most ethically controversial in the history of psychology.
The creators of the new show, producers Jane Lipschitz and Dan Cutforth, decided to recreate the conditions of the experiment but with modern safeguards. Thirty participants of diverse backgrounds, including three women, spent two weeks in a real, though decommissioned, prison block. Eight people became "guards," and twenty-two became "prisoners." All of them underwent psychological screening and gave informed consent, and medics, psychologists and off-duty prison officers were on site around the clock. Participants could leave the project at any time by speaking a code word.
The proceedings were observed by a panel of experts: behavioral scientist Alison Wood Brooks of Harvard Business School, journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Jelani Cobb, and former federal correctional officer Michael Cantrell.
As in the original study, tension mounted by the sixth day. Two "prisoners," Pete and Brandon, were placed in solitary conditions for conspiring against the "guards": 23 hours in a cell and one hour for a shower and exercise. The producers, by their account, expected the experiment to end there. However, one of the rebels, after speaking to his mother on the phone, decided to stay.
To complicate matters, the organizers introduced several stages. In one of them, called "Role Reversal," the most punished "prisoners" became "guards," and the most domineering "guards" became "prisoners." One of the former "wardens" could not cope with losing power and left the show a day later. Meanwhile, other "prisoners" nearly attacked Pete and Brandon, their recent fellow sufferers, who were now seen as the instigators of the unrest. The conflict was averted by another "guard" shift led by Laura Berens, whom the producers called the strongest leader of the project.
The ending of the experiment proved unexpected. In the final stage, "Self-Governance," all rules were abolished. One of the participants, comedian Mike Paramore, persuaded the others not to serve out the remaining days but to leave the prison together as a sign of unity. On the thirteenth day, all the "prisoners" left the project, holding hands.
Jane Lipschitz told journalists that such an ending came as a complete surprise to the film crew. She also noted that, without phones, alcohol or women, men from different social backgrounds were able to find common ground and understand one another better. The producers hope to be able to shoot a second season, possibly with different conditions or with an all-female cast.
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