Inside the World's Toughest Prisons


Inside the World's Toughest Prisons is a four-season television documentary produced by London-based Emporium Productions and available on Netflix. The documentary shows life in 16 prisons around the world, mostly from the prisoner perspective but also including the perspective of prison guards and others interacting with the prison system. Season 1 was hosted by Irish journalist Paul Connolly and originally aired on Channel 5. Seasons 2, 3, and 4 were commissioned by Netflix and hosted by UK journalist Raphael Rowe, who had himself served 12 years in prison for a crime he was eventually acquitted of. Season 4 of the series was released on the 29th July 2020. A 5th season is currently in production, being released for July 2021.

Episodes

Season 1

Season 1, hosted by Paul Connolly, was aired in 2016 on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom. It is now available on Netflix along with Seasons 2 and 3.

Season 2

Season 2, produced by Netflix with host Raphael Rowe, was released on July 6, 2018 on Netflix.

Season 3

Season 3, produced by Netflix with host Raphael Rowe, was released on December 14, 2018 on Netflix.

Season 4

Season 4, produced by Netflix with host Raphael Rowe, was released on July 29, 2020 on Netflix.