America's Toughest Prisons - Episode Guide

An insight into life inside the most notorious jails in the United States, beginning in Utah State Prison, where many inmates have to choose between supporting their families or joining a gang. The programme meets Natalie Terrazas, whose family belong to a violent culture on the streets, meaning she must turn her back on them or face a life behind bars.

Life inside the Tent City correctional facility in Phoenix, Arizona, where inmates are kept outdoors in the scorching heat and luxuries including sugar, salt, coffee and tobacco are all banned

Life inside Iowa's Fort Dodge Correctional Facility, nicknamed the gladiator camp by inmates due to the vicious in-fighting behind bars. New arrival Thomas befriends a second-time prisoner in Emmet Unit before trying to prove himself on the weight machines, but the spectators subject him to ridicule. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Anthony focuses on securing an early release in a rehabilitative boot camp

Life inside the overcrowded Ironwood State Prison in Blythe, California, where an adult education programme is run in partnership with two local community colleges. Inmate Jim White reveals how his brainchild has resulted in 400 convicts graduating from the course, while Crips gang member Donovan Green's studies are disrupted by a sudden bout of violence. The programme also meets Roger Serna, whose attempts to receive an education are jeopardised when he is relocated from his cell to the gym.

The dangerously understaffed maximum-security Wyoming State Penitentiary, where new guards often last as little as two weeks before the pressure forces them to quit. Recent recruits, including former US Marine Brian Moyer and mother-of-two Kelly Cooper, discuss their experiences of patrolling the corridors with only pepper spray for a weapon, but a 20-strong team armed with shotguns and tear gas is on standby if a situation gets out of control.

Multnomah County Jail in Portland, Oregon, where guards work unarmed and many inmates have drug problems and suffer from mental illness. A heroin addict discusses the prospect of withdrawal, and an incarcerated former paralegal student shares her experiences of prison life, while one officer describes how overcrowding has led to the release of low-risk prisoners on busy nights

New series of the programme that unlocks the truth about some of America's most notorious prisons. This edition focuses on Statesville Prison in Illinois. With violence a constant threat at this maximum-security facility, guards and inmates alike must find ways to cope with daily life.

Life inside Fremont Correctional Facility in Colorado, which houses 1,600 prisoners, 1,400 of whom are guilty of sexual offences. Rapists and child molesters are regarded with contempt by inmates imprisoned for other crimes, causing one offender to prefer the safety of solitary confinement. Social worker Mr McGill discusses the rehabilitation process, and an officer explains the risks facing many female guards.

Life inside the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Centre, located in the remote town of Bethal, Alaska, where the vast majority of crimes are connected to drug and alcohol abuse. A state trooper explains how important the support of the community is, and a Village Public Safety Officer explains his role in arresting suspects.

Life inside Colorado's Youthful Offender System, which offers the final chance for juvenile felons to rehabilitate themselves before being sent to an adult institution. An 18-year-old shares his experience of the facility's intense four-week boot camp, which aims to break individuals down and rebuild them as a team, and a former gang leader who is now considered a model prisoner discusses his progress.

Life inside Detroit's Wayne County Jail, where a radical new scheme offers habitual female offenders a final chance at life on the outside. The inmates, who are often from troubled and violent backgrounds, are put through a stringent retraining programme and offered the chance of early release in the hope they will not reoffend.

Following ex-convict Donovan who, after 14 years in prison, must learn to live on the outside. He is forced to face his family, find work and confront his past, and with two thirds of ex-cons ending up back behind bars, he faces a struggle to resist the temptation of reverting to a life of crime.