The series takes you inside some of the world’s most notorious prisons. Every episode delves into the unique history of a specific prison, showcasing its wildest practices, infamous inmates, harrowing events, and ingenious escapes. Spanning 1,000 years, the series covers legendary institutions from the historic Tower of London to today’s high-tech ADX, where El Chapo is currently held. Through interviews with journalists, former correctional officers, and previously incarcerated individuals, the series offers an authentic glimpse into the inner workings of these prisons.
Episode 1
Three stories of men willing to take risks to escape the cold, dark cells of "the Rock"; six convicts organize a jailbreak; three men attempt an elaborate breakout.
Episode 2
On ADX, "Alcatraz of the Rockies" located in Florence, Colorado; Ishmael Petty attacks the staff; Tommy Silverstein finds a way to communicate with Ramzi Youssef; an inmate starves himself to protest the prison's policies; and more.
E03 · Hanoi Hilton
On the Hanoi Hilton, an American POW prison of the Vietnam War located in the city of Hanoi, Vietnam; captives include John McCain, the group of airmen who invent a secret communication code, and Jerimiah Denton who sneaks messages home on live TV.
E04 · Sing Sing
A maximum-security prison on the banks of the Hudson, just 30 miles north of New York City, gives rise to the saying, being sent up the river.
E05 · Dannemora
Dannemora prison opens in 1845 as a source of free labour for the local mines; Kenneth Kimes takes a Court TV producer hostage; Tupac Shakur stirs up trouble; Richard Matt and David Sweat attempt to escape.
E06 · San Quentin
San Quentin located in Marin County on the San Francisco Bay is California's oldest prison dating back to the gold rush, and home to the state's only gas chamber.
E07 · Attica
Attica, a 90-year-old maximum-security prison in upstate New York, has a legacy of violence and inmate abuse stretching back decades; stories include the serial killer Son of Sam who gets his throat slashed, a successful escape, and a riot.
E08 · Leavenworth
Leavenworth located 25-miles northwest of Kansas City, was the largest maximum-security federal prison in the United States for over a hundred years; Carl Panzram, Robert Stroud and Tommy Silverstein share stories of life behind its walls.
E09 · Devil's Island
France shipped prisoners to Devil's Island located off French Guiana so they would vanish from the public eye; its most famous prisoner, Alfred Dreyfus, is a military officer convicted of crimes he didn't commit.
E10 · Andersonville
Deep in the heart of the Confederacy, Andersonville was the last place a Union soldier wanted to end up during the Civil War; only opened for 14 months, it's the deadliest American prison, becoming the final resting place for over 12,000 men.
E11 · Tower of London
Located in the heart of London on the River Thames, the Tower of London's reputation for torture and beheadings fuels nightmares; originally built as a fortress by William the Conqueror in 1078, it becomes a prison in 1101.
E12 · The Soviet Gulag
Within the first forty years of operation of the Soviet Gulag system, at least 18 million people were imprisoned and more than one and a half million were killed; three tales of the fight for survival.
