Inside the World's Toughest Prisons poster

Inside the World's Toughest Prisons

2016 to present Crime, Documentary 7 seasons

TMDB rating 7.0/10 Between seasons

Crime journalist Raphael Rowe goes behind the bars of some of the world’s most notorious and toughest prisons. Immersing himself in maximum security facilities around the world to live as a prisoner, he encounters the inmates locked up for their crimes and meets the men and women on the right side of law tasked with keeping the criminals behind bars.

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Seasons7

  • Paul Connolly journeys inside deplorable prisons in Poland, Mexico, Honduras and the Philippines to experience their barbaric conditions first hand.

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    TMDB rating 7.3/10

  • Raphael Rowe, who spent 12 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit, investigates some of the world's toughest prisons from the inside.

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    TMDB rating 7.0/10

  • Investigative journalist Raphael Rowe, who was once wrongfully convicted of murder, visits prisons in Colombia, Costa Rica, Romania and Norway.

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    TMDB rating 7.0/10

  • Journalist Raphael Rowe lives like an inmate while investigating dangerous prisons in Paraguay, Germany, Mauritius and Lesotho.

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    TMDB rating 7.3/10

  • Raphael Rowe, who spent years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, volunteers to go behind bars in the Philippines, Greenland and South Africa.

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    TMDB rating 10.0/10

  • Wrongfully convicted former inmate Raphael Rowe continues his investigation of formidable prisons in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Greece and Moldova.

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    TMDB rating 9.4/10

  • Journalist and former inmate Raphael Rowe experiences life inside prisons in Finland, the Czech Republic, Indonesia and the Solomon Islands.

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    TMDB rating 8.0/10

Cast and details

  • Raphael RoweHimself
  • Paul ConnollyHimself
Network
5, Netflix
First aired
Apr 20, 2016
Latest episode
Sep 15, 2023

Release dates are original schedules and may differ from availability in your country. A release never marks anything as watched. Last checked Nov 3, 2026.Schedule data from TVmaze, CC BY-SA.