Netflix is taking a deep dive into the world of prisons. This won’t be like Beyond Scared Straight, this series is set to take on a much more serious approach to the prison society that sometimes goes unheard of. The streaming service has ordered a series to take a closer look at the worlds most notorious jails in ‘Inside The World’s Toughest Prisons’.
Now if you’ve seen documentaries like this before you’ll be expecting some hardcore investigating, as well as highlights (or lowlights) of some tremendously insane prisons. Netflix first acquired the rights of the series from its early stages when it was just a 1 episode series showing the UK’s worst prisons. They began talking to producers in order to take the series globally and eventually thought up of this.
Raphael Rowe, who himself spent 12 years inside a prison for a murder he didn’t commit, will serve as the host of the show, guiding us through various different jail systems and prisons around the world. Not only will he be guiding us but he will be experiencing the prisons, just as if he was an inmate. According to Variety news:
A new presenter, Raphael Rowe, has been added. He served 12 years in a high-security prison in the U.K. for a murder he did not commit. In the four-parter, he embeds himself with prisoners in each jail for a week, sharing a cell with real inmates and taking part in their daily lives while incarcerated. He also joins the guards to discover the tactics they adopt to keep the peace in these volatile environments.
Rowe ventures into prisons in Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Ukraine and Belize in the new series, encountering extreme punishments, squalor and gang warfare.
“Going back inside to film this series was one of the most challenging decisions I’ve made,” Rowe said. “Taking on the persona of a prisoner in order to immerse myself in the daily life and routine of convicted criminals and the conditions they are held in around the world was dangerous. The conditions in these prisons are so tough for very different reasons, and the prisoners we spoke to offer an insight that is both captivating and chilling.”
I can’t even imagine how Rowe is feeling doing this series. If I was wrongfully convicted of a crime and released from Prison, I would make sure I never have to return to one ever. Regardless, this should make for some great reality TV and shed light on the part of society we don’t like to talk about; our prison systems.
