Inside the World's Toughest Prisons

Imagine being in jail. Now imagine living in a foreign country. Scary? Paul Connelly takes you inside these jails. He shows what living conditions are for the inmates, as well as the guards. You'll never look at prison the same.

Genre: Documentary

Cast:Raphael Rowe , Paul Connelly , Marios El Khoury

1Season 1

S1.E1 ∙ Danli Prison, Honduras

Fri, Oct 7, 2016

Paul Connolly heads to Honduras, the murder capital of the world, to spend a week living as a prisoner inside one of the most dangerous prisons - Danli Prison.

2Season 1

S1.E2 ∙ Piotrkow Prison, Poland

Wed, Apr 27, 2016

Paul serves time in the purpose built prison in Poland, that was built to hold the worst criminals of the worst. Here he meets a notorious gangland killer and learns how a zero tolerance regime wiped out a prison gang.

3Season 1

S1.E3 ∙ Mexico

Thu, Mar 3, 2016

In a television first, crime journalist Paul Connolly is granted access to El Hongo maximum security prison, one of Mexico's toughest jails from where no-one has never escaped. Isolated in the barren Baja desert of northern Mexico, El Hongo is a concrete fortress of discipline and punishment designed to contain and control over a thousand inmates including hardened cartel gangsters.

4Season 1

S1.E4 ∙ Philippines

Wed, May 4, 2016

Paul spends time in the Rizal City Jail, known for been both overcrowded and housing impoverished prisoners. Here he shares a cell with a murderer and a rapist. He also explores how the Bahala Na gang rules a prison in the country.

1Season 2

S2.E1 ∙ Brazil: The Gang Prison

Fri, Jul 6, 2018

Investigative journalist Raphael Rowe spends a few days -- both as a guard and a prisoner -- inside Brazil's gang-filled Porto Velho Penitentiary.

2Season 2

S2.E2 ∙ Ukraine: The Prison in a War Zone

Fri, Jul 6, 2018

Raphael Rowe visits the short-staffed Bomana Prison in Papua New Guinea, where near-constant food shortages keep the facility on the brink of chaos.

3Season 2

S2.E3 ∙ Papua New Guinea: The Breakout Prison

Fri, Jul 6, 2018

Raphael Rowe visits the short-staffed Bomana Prison in Papua New Guinea, where near-constant food shortages keep the facility on the brink of chaos.

4Season 2

S2.E4 ∙ Belize: The Prison That Found God

Fri, Jul 6, 2018

In Belize Central Prison, the inmates are told that rehabilitation comes through God. Raphael Rowe investigates if this evangelical approach works.

1Season 3

S3.E1 ∙ Costa Rica: Prison on a Knife-Edge

Fri, Dec 14, 2018

Though he's no stranger to life behind bars, Raphael Rowe concedes that Costa Rica's La Reforma Prison is certainly among the most intimidating.

2Season 3

S3.E2 ∙ Colombia: Narco Prison

Fri, Dec 14, 2018

While spending a week inside Bogota's fortress-like prison, Raphael Rowe must negotiate the oppressive atmosphere and deal with an ominous threat.

3Season 3

S3.E3 ∙ Romania: Gypsy Prison

Fri, Dec 14, 2018

Raphael Rowe spends a week at a maximum security prison in Craiova, Romania, where he inmates include rapists, murderers and contract killers.

4Season 3

S3.E4 ∙ Norway: The Perfect Prison?

Fri, Dec 14, 2018

Norway wants to be the model prison. Instead of humiliation they treat you with kindness and compassion. Raul felt weird. Eventually the goal is to have the inmate be a perfect citizen.

1Season 4

S4.E1 ∙ Paraguay: The Most Dangerous Prison on Earth

Wed, Jul 29, 2020

Raphael Rowe spends a week behind bars at Tacumbu prison in Paraguay, where inmates scrounge in the trash in order to pay their own way.

2Season 4

S4.E2 ∙ Germany: The Therapy Prison

Wed, Jul 29, 2020

Schwalmstadt, a 12th-century fortress surrounded by a moat, houses some of Germany's worst offenders, many of whom attend intense therapy sessions.

3Season 4

S4.E3 ∙ Mauritius: The Extreme Punishment Prison

Wed, Jul 29, 2020

The tropical island of Mauritius is home to Melrose maximum security prison, where even the smallest infraction is met with extreme punishment.

4Season 4

S4.E4 ∙ Lesotho: Confronting Sexual Violence

Wed, Jul 29, 2020

An unnerved Rowe contends with aggressive cellmates at Maseru prison, where a high number of inmates are behind bars for rape.

1Season 5

S5.E1 ∙ South Africa: The Number Gangs Prison

Fri, Jan 8, 2021

At Brandvlei correction Centre in South Africa nearly all of the Convicts in prison belong to dangerous gangs known for stabbings.

2Season 5

S5.E2 ∙ Philippines: The War on Drugs Prison

Fri, Jan 8, 2021

Once again, Raphael Rowe volunteers to go behind bars, this time in the Philippines at Manila City jail, one of the world's most overcrowded prisons.

3Season 5

S5.E3 ∙ Greenland: Prison in the Ice

Fri, Jan 8, 2021

Greenland's Nuuk maximum security prison houses extremely dangerous prisoners, many of whom grew up alongside the guards now watching over them.

1Season 6

S6.E1 ∙ Moldova: The Lifers Prison

Wed, Sep 28, 2022

Raphael Rowe travels to Moldova and locks himself up in penitentiary number 17, a heavily guarded prison with hundreds of prisoners in for life.

2Season 6

S6.E2 ∙ Cyprus: The Utopian Prison

Wed, Sep 28, 2022

The Central Jail of Nicosia in Cyprus has undergone radical transformation over the years. But are these changes for the better?

3Season 6

S6.E3 ∙ Bosnia: The Mafia Prison

Wed, Sep 28, 2022

At Zenica prison at Bosnia and Herzegovina, Raphael Rowe finds himself trapped with inmates ranging from organized crime bosses to ruthless killers.

4Season 6

S6.E4 ∙ Greece: The People Smugglers Prison

Wed, Sep 28, 2022

Raphael Rowe investigates one of Greece's most overcrowded maximum-security prisons, overflowing with some of the country's most dangerous offenders.

1Season 7

S7.E1 ∙ Finland: The Free Choice Prison

Fri, Sep 15, 2023

At Finland's Kylmakoski prison, Raphael meets violent offenders in the general population wing and bonds with the inmates, while a newcomer is attacked.

2Season 7

S7.E2 ∙ Czech Republic: The Crystal Meth Prison

Fri, Sep 15, 2023

Surrounded by many inmates who struggle with crystal meth addiction, Raphael enters the Pilsen prison and discovers that some habits are hard to break.

3Season 7

S7.E3 ∙ Indonesia: The re-programming Drug Prison

Fri, Sep 15, 2023

Raphael gets a rare look inside Bangli prison, where drug offenders are forced to join a rehabilitation program and isolation is used as punishment.

4Season 7

S7.E4 ∙ Solomon Islands: God's Own Prison

Fri, Sep 15, 2023

At the Rove maximum security prison, many of inmates serve time for sexual offenses while navigating grim conditions and extremely limited resources.