Parents' Guide to

Locked Up Abroad

By Anne Louise Bannon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Show about foreign jails could be cautionary for older kids.

TV National Geographic Channel Reality TV 2006
Locked Up Abroad Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 1 parent review

Plague
Plague Parent
December 17, 2009
age 12+

Locked Up Abroad

Pretty good show I must say. Some of the reanactments are cliché, but not bad. All in all, an entertaining show.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

LOCKED UP ABROAD tells the stories of real-life tourists who get arrested in foreign lands and thrown in jail. Sometimes they're innocent, as in one case in which a man was unknowingly traveling with a friend who was carrying drugs. But most of the "victims" end up behind bars because they were doing something criminal, and viewers see the intense moments they spend in captivity, as well as their attempts to gain freedom.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Locked Up Abroad does have several things going for it. The production values are good, and the stories are told in the voices of the people immediately involved, which gives viewers a personal connection to the stories. The re-enactments are eerily close to the original photography and video taken at the time of imprisonment. And it's certainly eye opening to witness the cruelty and miscarriage of
justice that occurs in some of these place.

But because there's no mention of any intervention from anybody's embassy, the whole thing smacks of sensationalism. And the show never mentions the many documented cases of
similar experiences happening to foreign nationals here in the United States. While teens may be interested to see what happens when you smuggle drugs in a place like Bangladesh (and it might even scare them out of ever trying anything similar!), they also need to understand that these experiences aren't a complete picture of what life is like in a foreign country. Bottom line: It's riveting TV, but it doesn't give the best or most accurate picture of other cultures.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the use of re-enactments to tell a true story. Sometimes it's hard to tell the re-enacted story from the video footage of the arrest; in that case, what purpose do the re-enactments serve? Also, does this show encourage fear about other countries? The show doesn't mention the millions of tourists who don't get into trouble in these places. Would you think twice about visiting some of these countries because of what you see here?

TV Details

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