"Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo" follows female inmates as they prepare for the 2007 Oklahoma State Penitentiary Rodeo. Allowing women to participate for the first time in 2006, the rodeo offers a unique outlet for women in a state with the highest female incarceration rate. Many of these inmates share difficult pasts marked by broken homes, drug abuse, and family separation. The annual rodeo, a tradition since 1940, is a spectacle where prisoners compete on wild horses and bulls, risking serious injury. For inmates like Danny Liles, a seasoned rodeo competitor, the competition provides a temporary escape from prison life, transforming them into heroes cheered on by the audience and guards.
