In the 1990s, at the height of the prison-building boom, a prison opened in rural America every 15 days. "Prison Town, USA" tells the story of Susanville, California, one small town that tries to resuscitate its economy by building a prison -- with unanticipated consequences. Nestled in the picturesque foothills of the California Sierras, Susanville once thrived on logging, ranching and agriculture.Today the Susanville area hosts three prison complexes housing more than 11,000 inmates, with plans for more to come. The inmate population is more than one-and-a-half times the number of local residents. "Prison Town, USA" follows the fortunes of people and families in Susanville over the course of two years. Among those portrayed are: a laid-off mill worker turned guard; a tenacious dairy owner fighting to retain his contract with the prison; a man on parole who can t find a job to support his family;local businessmen who were given false hopes; and prison-boosting politicians. The resulting story is one of hard choices and unanticipated consequences. As Susanville s good-hearted country-boys-turned-prison-guards soon learn, life outside the walls is developing eerie parallels to life on the inside.