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Can these family members walk a mile in their loved one’s shoes? 

A&E’s new series Family Lockup, which premieres August 21, spotlights a groundbreaking re-entry program that invites the estranged family members of inmates to join them behind prison walls. The goal? Give incarcerated individuals the support that can help them get their lives back on track and stay out of jail for good.  

“Inmates without any family support are more likely to return to jail,” a man explains in the teaser for the show. 

But providing that support can be a challenge. In the premiere, a man named Rick agrees to spend 48 hours behind bars in an attempt to reconnect with his stepson, Daryn, who has been estranged from his family due to a brutal cycle of loss, addiction, and incarceration. 

Jail accommodations are ‘torture,’ dad says in ‘Family Lockup’ premiere 

Daryn and Rick’s relationship has been rocky for years due to conflicts over Daryn’s drug use and his feelings that his family abandoned him because of their extreme religious beliefs. The final straw came when Daryn returned home after serving time for manslaughter related to an overdose. Rick discovered his son was using again, and the two have not spoken for seven months. Now, Rick is headed to jail in a last-ditch attempt to reconnect with his son. 

In this exclusive clip from the Family Lockup premiere, Rick realizes that jail is much tougher than he imagined. 

“I had a lot on my mind last night thinking about my son Daryn, what I’m going to say,” he says after spending his first night in lockup. 

“I didn’t sleep too good. It’s so loud in here,” he adds. “Light from outside the window. People constantly talking. The bed’s not designed for comfort. It’s a torture machine.” 

Rick worries that he wasn’t there for his son when he needed him

A man with tattoos sitting across from an older man in a prison jumpsuit in A&E's 'Family Lockup'
Rick and Daryn in ‘Family Lockup’ | A&E
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A night in jail is no picnic. But what’s really bothering Rick are questions about his relationship with Daryn and what he could have done differently in the past.

“This is an environment that I never experienced before,” the 63-year-old says. “And it is difficult. And it is stirring me up in many ways that I didn’t think I was going to get stirred up.”

“As a parent for any child that’s addicted to drugs of any kind, you got to be involved some measure. You can’t just not be part of it. That’s your child. I did nothing. I love my son. Doesn’t matter if he’s 41,” he adds, tearfully. “In my heart, he’s still my little boy.” 

Family Lockup premieres Thursday, August 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on A&E.

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