Step inside America's troubled prison system where more than 2.2 million convicts live in a world of increasing violence, extreme crowding, rampant drug use and gang warfare.
A look at life inside California's Pelican Bay State Prison. The facility houses the state's most violent offenders, and is populated by numerous gang members. Once inside, supporters of organizations including the Nazi Low Riders and the Black Guerrillas continue to wage war on each other. However, the authorities are determined to destroy the leaders' communication networks and foster an environment that will encourage informants to emerge.
Gang leader Diedreikus Albert reveals how convicts get their hands on contraband behind bars in Ohio's Lebanon Correctional Institute, which contains more than 2,000 of the state's most dangerous men. Plus, a new inmate who is serving seven years for involuntary manslaughter shares his fears and a 23-year-old who is about to be sworn in as a correctional officer talks about the challenges of the job
Series going behind the doors of America's most dangerous prisons, focusing on Minnesota's Oak Park Heights, part of a new breed of Supermax institutions reserved for some of the country's worst-behaved criminals. Surprisingly, many of the convicted rapists, murderers and arsonists are allowed to leave their cells during the day
Prisoners discuss the terrifying conditions of California's notorious Salinas Valley State Prison, where an estimated 70 per cent of inmates were gang members on the outside and mergers take place to form racial armies. Mass battles take place in the violent C yard, inhabited by leaders who order assaults, riots and murders to be carried out by 'foot soldiers'
Staff and inmates' accounts of life inside the walls of California's Valley State Prison for Women, which holds 3,900 of the most dangerous female prisoners in the state system. One inmate, who is held in the high-security Administrative Segregation section having assaulted a cellmate, talks about her experiences, while another who is soon to be released reveals her fears of going back on the outside
The battle for control inside the Alexander Correctional Institution, North Carolina - a prison known for its high security and strict rules and regulations. Assistant superintendent Keith Whitener reveals how he deals with gang activity, while officer Larry Carver discusses controlling the traffic of inmates within their block. Last in the series
A look inside Utah State Prison, where small, homegrown gangs battle larger, national groups to gain territory. Loyalty is an essential feature, with membership handed down through generations.
A look inside Wyoming State Penitentiary - a prison which is understaffed and overcrowded - from the perspective of three new staff members. They face the daily challenges of officer training and learning to cope with manipulative inmates as well as the dangerous environment - where escape and murder are a reality.
Outnumbered guards use military-like discipline and force to stay in control in the Tent City jail in the Arizona desert.
New recruits at the understaffed Wyoming State Penitentiary face the challenges of training, manipulative inmates and working in a prison with a history of violence.
A look inside Fort Dodge Correctional Facility in Iowa, a medium security prison built on 60 acres of land, where young offenders have a tough time in the cellblocks and the yard at the hands of gang members. Designed on a campus model, the structure has administration and treatment buildings, while the living quarters are divided into units to provide easier supervision and control of the inmates
A look inside Multnomah County Detention Centre in Oregon, a maximum security jail located in downtown Portland. The booking department takes in more than 100 inmates per day and the prison lacks the space, staff and resources to cope with the influx. Weekend nights bring the most activity, when people who are mostly drunk, on drugs or both stream through its doors - often in a state of distress and not scared to express their frustration
The Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois is one of America's most perilous prisons, with 60 percent of the inmates serving time for murder and 20 percent for rape and other violent crimes.
A man who was convicted of armed robbery and spent 14 years in prison is released, but life on the outside proves even tougher than the dangerous world he is leaving behind
Officers and counselors at Wayne County Jail in Detroit struggle to rehabilitate female offenders and keep them from returning to crime.
Examining the innovative Youthful Offender System in Colorado, which provides juvenile felons with the opportunity of rehabilitation to avoid being sent to adult prisons
Documentary providing an insight into the work of those in charge of maintaining law and order in Alaska, a vast and sometimes roadless region, where crime rates have soared
Maryland struggles to contain all of its female felons in one prison, the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women.
Convicted sex offenders at Fremont Correctional in Colorado discuss their crimes, their experiences behind bars and the facility's intensive therapy program.
Tensions threaten to erupt at any moment at the St. Louis County Jail.
Life in one of Mexico's most notorious prisons, Centro do Ejecucion do Sanciones.
Criminals in Cleveland, Ohio must pass through the Cuyahoga County Jail, home of the county's infamous Special Response Team.
Inmates in the largest county jail in Denver take advantage of the run down facility to make weapons before being moved.
The Mexican Mafia battles a local prison gang at Bexar County Jail in San Antonio, Texas.
Officers at Hillsborough County Jail in Tampa, Fla. put their lives on the line to keep inmates safe and under control.
Chaos erupts in one of California's most violent prisons.
Violent murders escalate in Juarez, making it the murder capital of Mexico.
