LOS ANGELES โ OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network will premiere the eight-episode docu-series, โReleased,โ which features intimate, first-person narratives of formerly incarcerated men and women as they walk out of the prison doors for the first time to restart their lives. The series premieres onย Saturday, September 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PTย after an all new episode of โIyanla: Fix My Lifeโ at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
โThis series depicts OWNโs intention of telling personal and very real stories that affect our everyday lives,โ said executive producer and EVP of programming for OWN, Jon Sinclair. โThe heartfelt narratives will expose the effects of mass incarceration not only on the individuals, but also the impact on the entire family unit and the unique challenges re-entering society can bring.โ
Through a diary-like lens, โReleasedโ presents autobiographical portraits of formerly incarcerated individuals as they walk out of the prison doors for the first time and during their first 90 days out of prison as each attempt to reconnect with their loved ones, establish their independence and begin the long, hard work of resurrecting their abandoned lives. โReleasedโ is executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Jon Sinclair and produced by Lucky 8 TV (โ60 Days In,โ โSecrets of the Underground,โ โThe Real Story with Marรญa Elena Salinasโ) with executive producers Gregย Henry, Kimย Woodard, Jarrett Lambo andย Keayr Braxton,ย alongside author and advocate Shaka Senghor as consulting producer.
The United States has approximately 2.3 million people inย corrections facilitiesย across the nationย (Prison Policy Initiative)ย โ more than any other country in the world.ย The first 90 days of being released are crucial for those who have been incarceratedย โย as they often face many challenges and few resourcesย โ andย nearly 40% of formerly incarcerated men and women re-offend within theย firstย six months,ย according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Stories of incarceration truly are family stories, and although only one member serves the time, โReleasedโ takes a closer look at everyone whose lives are affected โ husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters โ in order to fully understand the current crisis. The series documents the formerly incarcerated and their loved ones as they set out to revive and restore their lives.ย For each family, there will be conflict and struggle, but there will also be hope and joy, as they look toward true freedom past the first 90 days.
Check out โReleasedโ Extended Trailer here.