In the United States, one in 120 Americans is in prison. America is today the country that incarcerates its citizens the most, far ahead of Iran or even China. Stealing a pizza can be worth up to 80, 100 or even 150 years in prison, if there is a repeat offence. Consequence of this ultra-repressive policy: overcrowded prisons where chaos sometimes reigns.
To cope with the influx of prisoners, a new generation of penitentiaries has emerged. Objective: monitor as many prisoners as possible with a minimum of staff. Entirely glazed cells, filmed 24 hours a day: the prisoners are almost never in contact with their guards and no longer have any privacy. Even the visiting rooms with the families are done by interposed videos. Are these methods effective, especially against gang members who make up 60% of the prison population?
00:00 Extreme prisons
4:37 Largest number of prisoners in the world
6:22 Orange County Jail
12:37 Cameras everywhere
14:35 The anti-gang unit
18:00 The search in the dormitory
26:00 Prisoners' recreation
29:35 Hagerstown High Security Prison
30:12 Bill sentenced to life for murder
33:05 Sentenced to 25 years for drug trafficking
35:01 Keth is serving a 70 year sentence
38:44 Checking prisoners' mail
41:10 Women's neighborhood
45:50 Prisoners and their visitors
Director: REBECCA LEVIN
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