Reid comments there was a pilot program using psychodrama in the mid 1990s in the San Luis Obispo jail. A psychodrama program was in place between 1997 and 1999 for inmates in the San Luis Obispo County Jail where Leonard Manzella, a licensed clinical social worker, worked with prisoners with violence and drug problems. Manzella has consulted with many law-enforcement agencies, correctional facilities and universities as well as the CBS Network.
A psychodrama is a form of psychotherapy where actors serve as surrogates for people in the life of a client, which also allows spontaneous dramatization and role playing. By recreating real-life situations and acting them out in the present, the client would be able to evaluate his or her behavior, leading to a deeper understanding of the situation.
The MAC-10 used in the show is actually a Non Gun replica modeled after the machine pistol.
Jason Wiles, who plays Unsub Sheppard, played police officer Maurice "Bosco" Boscorelli in another police procedure drama Third Watch (1999).