Netflix slammed for recreating infamous Stanford Prison Experiment for new reality show: 'How is this legal?'

Netflix has been slammed online after it revealed that it was turning the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment into a new reality show.Variety revealed earlier this week that the streaming giant was launching a new series called The New Stanford Prison Experiment, which will premiere on October 21.'30 willing participants enter a real prison and are randomly assigned as guards or prisoners,' reads a description.'Thrust into a system of power, hierarchy and control, they’ll discover whether ordinary people inevitably conform to the roles they’re given - or whether empathy, morality and individuality can withstand the forces pushing them in the opposite direction.'As the pressure builds and the balance of power begins to shift, the central question feels more urgent than ever: Does power corrupt?'The news was met with fierce backlash online, as many pointed out that the initial 1971 experiment it's based off of ended in disaster.Run by psychologist Professor Philip Zimbardo, the Stanford Prison Experiment has become one of the most famous psychological studies of all time. Students were randomly assigned to be either guards or prisoners within a mock prison constructed in the Stanford Psychology Department. Netflix has been slammed online after it revealed that it was turning the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment into a new reality show (stock image) Variety revealed earlier this week that the streaming giant was launching a new series called The New Stanford Prison Experiment, which will premiere on October 21The objective was to observe the interaction within and between the two groups in the absence of an obviously malevolent authority.The results proved shocking, with the abuse handed out to the prisoners by the guards so brutal that the study had to be terminated after just six days.'Leave it to Netflix to reproduce one of the most notorious and unethical social experiments ever, but as reality TV,' one user scathed on X, formerly Twitter, following the announcement. 'We already know the results of this are bad/harmful/dangerous,' another added.'This is one of the most infamous records of horrific practice, social duress and unsafe living conditions,' someone else penned. 'Psychologists already determined it to be highly unethical and traumatizing. How is this legal? And how is this considered entertainment?' 'This same experiment was ended early last time because “guards” became increasingly abusive and “prisoners” were suffering intense emotional distress,' read a fourth post. 'It was deemed a highly unethical experiment. But sure, let’s make the same terrible mistakes again, for entertainment purposes.' The news was met with fierce backlash online, as many pointed out that the initial 1971 experiment it's based off of ended in disaster Run by psychologist Professor Philip Zimbardo, students were randomly assigned to be either guards or prisoners within a mock prison constructed in the Stanford Psychology Department 'This sounds like a bad idea in every way possible. The real experiment failed miserably,' said a sixth.A different user chimed in: 'This was stupid when it was done in real life. And will probably be even stupider when repeated.'Many people urged Netflix to 'cancel' or 'pull' the show before its premiere, while some, on the other hand, confessed that they were excited to watch. Several attempts to replicate the study over the years have yielded disparate results, leading some scientists to suggest the study was faked.Doug Korpi, who was one of the 24 participants of Professor Zimbardo's notorious 1971 experiment, recalled in a 2024 docuseries how he had to fake a mental breakdown in an isolated cell in a desperate last-ditch attempt to be freed from the infamous scientific study.Known as Prisoner #8612, Doug claimed he had no other option but to fake 'crazy' in a bid to get out of the trial after Zimbardo allegedly refused to let him leave for his own self-serving interest to 'make history.' His mission to get out of the project came after he was beaten by prison guards, stripped naked, and chained to another inmate. Speaking in National Geographic's three-part series, The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking The Truth, Doug claimed he was forced to take matters into his own hands after trying to initially get out with a stomach ache. Professor Zimbardo is seen in 2015 Doug Korpi, who was one of the 24 participants of Professor Zimbardo's notorious 1971 experiment, recalled in a 2024 docuseries how he had to fake a mental breakdown in an isolated cell in a desperate last-ditch attempt to be freed from the infamous scientific study Known as Prisoner #8612, Doug claimed he had no other option but to fake 'crazy' in a bid to get out of the trial after Zimbardo refused to for his own self-serving interest to 'make history' He said: 'I thought this was a bad job, these people won't let me out, so I've got to be creative.'So, I said I had a tummy ache, because I thought that would get me out, so they pulled me in the back. Zimbardo said, "Doug, you can't leave, history is being made."'When I came out of that room, I had the definite impression that I could not leave the experiment.'Doug, who was just 22 at the time, said he was then placed into a solitary confinement cell, which was nicknamed 'the hole.'It was there where he decided to put on an 'act' to get out.He recalled: 'I was in this closet, on my side lying down in the dark and I remember being like, "Oh s**t, I can't get out of this experiment."'Somebody had control of my life. I was in this emotional state, and then I got desperate.'He continued: 'I had to be creative and that's when I decided I had to act like I was crazy. You don't just sit and be upset, you have to act upset, and I was acting agitated. It was a lot of work.'During his dramatic breakdown, Doug repeatedly screamed: 'I want out, I want out.'In 2018, Zimbardo said allegations that an inmate faked psychological stress were false.The scientist instead claimed that Doug had been 'ashamed' of having a breakdown.'Retrospectively now, he's ashamed of having broken down,' Zimbardo said. 'He is the least reliable source of any information about the study.'