Among the many exaggerations in the Netflix docuseries, two inmates-turned-activists told ABC10 the show didn’t emphasize the jail's rehabilitation programs.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The spotlight is on Sacramento once again. Last year, it was because the police shooting of Stephon Clark. Now it’s because of the new Netflix docuseries “Jailbirds.” The show chronicles the lives of women — a few men — inside Sacramento County Jail.

A quick Google search of the show will return articles from people fascinated by inmates talking to one another through toilet bowls and tweets from fans of the show wondering if there will be a second season. One recurring theme is whether it was a good idea to allow cameras into the jail.

Letting camera crews into Sacramento County Jail isn’t something new, according to Sgt. Tess Deterding, spokesperson for Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. The jail has been featured on MSNBC’s “Lockup Extended Stay: Sacramento,” and Sheriff’s deputies are regularly followed on the television show “COPS.”

“The Sheriff, when approached with opportunities like this, starts with the premise of wanting to say, 'yes,'” Deterding said. “He believes that it’s important for the community to have a little bit of that curtain pulled back to see what goes on inside of our facilities.”

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But two women who spent time in Sacramento County Jail said the show didn’t fully reflect their experiences.

April and Blanca, who have asked for their last names to be withheld, both watched “Jailbirds.” April entered the jail in 1998 and served eight months. Blanca spent 13 months in the jail, entering in 2005. They eventually completed their time at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Central Valley facility.

“I know watching the show, we didn’t have that much freedom,” April said, referring to the show’s depiction of cast members frequently gathering. “I wasn’t running up and down stairs or standing talking at anyone’s door.”

Both women said they were on 23-hour lockdown while in Sacramento County Jail. They said they would spend an hour out of their cell each day to shower or make phone calls.

“There were multiple times we were on lockdown for several days, so you’d take a quick refresher in your sink in your cell,” Blanca said. Blanca said she shares a few similarities with what she saw on the show — specifically the toilet talking.

But Blanca and April said the show didn’t emphasize the programs available inside the jail that can help women lead better lives.

April said she’s been going into the jail the last couple of months to teach women trauma-informed storytelling. She said the women she speaks to are programming, which means, “they’re not causing harm in the jail, not fighting or causing disturbances," she explained. "They’re taking classes to address trauma, harm and abuse. And they’re learning the skills to be pro-social adults.”

April is able to do this work through the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC). The organization’s mission is to “empower formerly and currently incarcerated people to thrive by providing a support network, comprehensive services, and opportunities to advocate for policy change.”

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Blanca is also a member and soon-to-be mentor with ARC. She said she took numerous classes during her time in Sacramento County Jail.

“I’ve taken [Alcoholics Anonymous], [Narcotics Anonymous], Bible study. I even signed up for a GED program where a teacher came in once a week and taught us,” Blanca said. “But none of that was portrayed or mentioned from what I remember on the show.”

Deterding said the show’s focus was telling the stories of women in the jail from initial intake through their custody period to life after being released. She also said it was “an opportunity to display the hard, good work the deputies do day in and day out to operate a facility like that.”

But she said the show was obviously dramatized for entertainment value.

“The things that they show don’t happen at the frequency or the intensity that was shown on the show... but the things that are depicted in the show are accurate,” Deterding said. “The idea is to not sugar coat things and to allow that stuff to be transparent. And the truth is that some of that stuff is not pretty, but it’s real.”

Both April and Blanca said they, like many others, had the opportunity to think about the mistakes they made that landed them in jail. Each of them decided to turn their lives around and help others who are now on the path they once walked.

“There is redemption. People can give back to the same cause they harmed people with,” April said.

And ultimately, April and Blanca hope people will see the humanity in the women featured on “Jailbirds.”