1 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:10,040 [Rowe] Mauritius, a tropical island. 2 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:11,440 [prison cell door slams] 3 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:14,280 Home to Melrose Maximum Security Prison, 4 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,680 where 800 of the country's worst drug smugglers, 5 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:20,520 sex offenders and murderers are locked up. 6 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:22,040 [in Mauritian Creole] We burned her, 7 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:24,440 with car tires, petrol and that's all. 8 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:28,640 This is no island paradise for the inmates. 9 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:32,400 Every convict is watched day and night. 10 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:37,080 Inmates are denied any privileges, even cigarettes. 11 00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:39,400 This is a prison. This is not Mama's house. 12 00:00:39,480 --> 00:00:44,080 And the smallest infringement of the rules is met with harsh punishment. 13 00:00:44,160 --> 00:00:48,600 They are frightened of the new regime and the new rules. 14 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:53,320 My name is Raphael Rowe. 15 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,400 I'm going to spend a week locked up here to find out what it's like 16 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,200 to be a prisoner in this extreme regime, 17 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,560 but it's not my first time behind bars. 18 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:07,760 I was convicted in the UK of a murder I didn't commit 19 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,480 and sentenced to life with no parole. 20 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,920 It took me 12 long years to clear my name. 21 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:20,600 Now I'm traveling the globe to discover what life is like 22 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,200 inside some of the world's toughest prisons. 23 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:33,600 [motorboat hums] 24 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:38,960 Mauritius is a small island off the east coast of Africa. 25 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:42,840 Blessed with a tropical climate and golden beaches, 26 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:45,800 it's a luxury holiday destination. 27 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:49,520 And the government wants to keep it that way. 28 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:52,000 There's a tough attitude to crime here. 29 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:53,320 [police siren wails] 30 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,080 They take crime and punishment very seriously. 31 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:58,840 I mean, for a country that has such a small population 32 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:00,760 of just over a million people, 33 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:04,080 it's incredible that they have 12 prisons. 34 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:07,680 Despite this, for many years, 35 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:12,440 Mauritian prisons were flooded with drugs and controlled by the inmates, 36 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:13,640 not the guards. 37 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:15,560 [prison gate slams closed] 38 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:18,760 Then, three years ago, it all changed. 39 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,080 The government appointed a new prisons commissioner, 40 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:24,400 who vowed to change the system. 41 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:26,960 [police, prisoners clamoring] 42 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,920 And he didn't waste any time showing who was now in charge. 43 00:02:31,640 --> 00:02:33,000 [police dogs barking] 44 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,320 He sent in helicopter SWAT teams to raid the prisons, 45 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:42,800 seize drugs, contraband and thousands of mobile phones 46 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,720 before destroying them very publicly with steamrollers. 47 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:54,440 Overnight, the new commissioner brought in a tough new regime 48 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:58,560 and all prisoner privileges were taken away. 49 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,720 But does this zero-tolerance system work? 50 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:05,520 And what's it like to be a prisoner here? 51 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:10,280 Just wouldn't associate what I'm seeing right now 52 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:11,920 with such a beautiful island. 53 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:16,240 The walls surrounding this place, 54 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:18,600 keeping prisoners inside, 55 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:20,680 are serious, 56 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:24,480 and just this visual presence scares you. 57 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:28,800 My first stop is New Wing, 58 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:33,920 where all new inmates are processed before being sent off to the prison 59 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:35,560 where they'll serve time. 60 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:41,240 I'm entering this place as a Category A prisoner. 61 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:45,600 Something I was when I was in prison back in the UK. 62 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:49,440 This means I'm viewed as a high-risk prisoner. 63 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:57,400 New inmates are one of the easiest ways to smuggle contraband into any prison. 64 00:03:57,720 --> 00:03:59,320 -I'm going to search you. -Okay. 65 00:03:59,960 --> 00:04:03,080 You need to remove all your clothes. Shoes, one at a time. 66 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,000 If you've cigarettes in your possession, it's not allowed. 67 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,920 So what-- What is-- What is it that you are trying to find? 68 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,360 Mobile phones, illicit drugs, 69 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:17,200 and perhaps sometimes weapons. 70 00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:19,440 Knives, some pieces of blades. 71 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:20,839 That's all. 72 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:23,360 Give it to me. 73 00:04:24,280 --> 00:04:28,360 Not only have I been stripped naked, I feel kind of humiliated. 74 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:29,840 [camera shutter clicks] 75 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,960 But by simply putting on this orange prison uniform, 76 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:35,160 I'm no longer... 77 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:39,440 a free person. 78 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:41,320 I've become theirs. 79 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:48,080 This intrusive process is good preparation for what I'm about to experience. 80 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,440 The last thing you're given is a box with a change of clothes 81 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:53,840 and a toothbrush. 82 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:58,440 All you'll need for life behind bars, here in Mauritius. 83 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:04,640 Fully processed, I'm now being transported to Melrose, 84 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:08,960 the highest-security prison on the island. 85 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:14,440 Opened in 2014, at a cost of 80 million dollars, 86 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,760 it's built to hold almost 1,000 serious criminals. 87 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:25,080 This fortress contains drug dealers, murderers and violent sexual predators. 88 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:26,960 [Rowe] Who will I be with? 89 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:30,960 Will there be people there threatening me? Will there be drugs? 90 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,360 How dangerous is the place I'm about to go to? 91 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:36,120 And you really don't know. 92 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:38,480 You can hear all the rumors and I've heard the rumors 93 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:40,360 about the discipline in this place. 94 00:05:41,280 --> 00:05:43,880 But I really don't know what I'm about to step into. 95 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:53,520 In this prison, there are 266 officers. 96 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:55,520 One for every four inmates. 97 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:58,240 Twenty-foot-high walls, 98 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:01,120 armed watchtowers, 99 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:03,520 miles of electric fencing, 100 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:07,360 and a 24-hour surveillance center. 101 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:12,560 Melrose boasts that it's the most secure prison in Africa. 102 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:16,160 [Rowe] You have armed officers 103 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:18,160 -in the watchtowers. -Yes, in the watchtowers. 104 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:19,520 And they have permission to shoot 105 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:21,240 -if somebody just escaped? -Yes. Yes, yes. 106 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:23,120 No one's allowed to approach the wall. 107 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:25,440 It's weirdly quiet. 108 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:28,760 There's no hum of prison like I'd expect. 109 00:06:28,840 --> 00:06:31,160 And it's immaculate. It's really tidy. 110 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:32,360 [birds chirping] 111 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:34,600 Listen to the sound of the birds tweeting. 112 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:41,640 I've been allocated to an accommodation block 113 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:45,360 that holds both local Mauritians and foreigners. 114 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:49,320 First stop is the communal area. 115 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:53,280 I'm struck by how tense the atmosphere feels. 116 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:56,880 There's none of the usual banter or noise. 117 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:03,480 A prisoner called Phils has been assigned to show me around. 118 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:04,640 Hello. 119 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:06,000 -Hello. -You are Phils? 120 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:07,120 -Yes. -Hi. 121 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:08,440 -Hi. -I'm Raphael. 122 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:10,040 Welcome. 123 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:11,040 Okay. Thank you. 124 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:13,520 [hushed chatter] 125 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:16,200 It's, um... 126 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:18,960 It's a bit eerie, actually. 127 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:23,240 How long are you out here for? 128 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:25,200 I'm here for 12 years now.  129 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:28,120 -Oh, you've been in prison for 12 years? -For 12 years, yeah. 130 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:31,120 That's a long fucking time, 12 years. 131 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:32,480 Yeah. [indistinct] Twelve years. 132 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:34,240 I sent here for 15 years. 133 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:37,120 The government's zero tolerance of crime 134 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:40,600 means many prisoners are serving very long sentences. 135 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:42,560 What did you get 15 years for? 136 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:43,560 Drug case. 137 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:44,760 -Drug case. -Yeah. 138 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:45,840 By importation? 139 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:46,760 Importation. 140 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:47,840 What kind of drug? 141 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:48,800 -Heroin? -Heroin. 142 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:49,720 Yeah. 143 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:52,720 It must have been a lot of drugs to get 15 years. 144 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:54,480 Yeah, 15 fucking years. 145 00:07:57,640 --> 00:07:59,560 Okay, this is the wash area is it? 146 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:00,600 Wash area, yes. 147 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,200 And this wash area is for how many guys? 148 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:06,640 You all share this... just two sinks? 149 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:07,640 Yes. 150 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:09,520 All the prisoners on this block 151 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:13,120 are expected to share these very basic facilities. 152 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:15,840 What's that up there on the wall? 153 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:17,360 That is a camera. 154 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:20,640 -So you're watched by the guards. -Yeah. 155 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:23,840 The facilities might be basic, 156 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:27,680 but the prison has a state-of-the-art CCTV system, 157 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:32,280 keeping tabs on every prisoner 24 hours a day. 158 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:40,559 The cells are dormitory-style in this prison, 159 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:43,400 and I'm allocated a bed next to Phils. 160 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:45,800 So, it'll be your... [indistinct] 161 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:47,320 So I would be your neighbor now. 162 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:49,480 -[Rowe] Okay. Okay. -[laughs] Yeah. 163 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:50,520 It's... 164 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:52,440 It's quite a big space. 165 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:54,160 [splutters] 166 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:57,360 I mean, there's room for how many guys? One, two, three, four-- 167 00:08:57,440 --> 00:08:59,040 -Ten. -Ten guys? 168 00:08:59,120 --> 00:08:59,960 Yeah. 169 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:04,480 Phils gives me the lowdown on how to survive around here. 170 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:09,480 Don't be out of the rule of this prison. 171 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:10,800 You can't smoke. 172 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:13,480 No cigarette in prison. 173 00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:15,480 Or you get a problem with the officer. 174 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:20,800 You have to go to punishment because, uh, if you get out of the rule, 175 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:23,280 punishment will come to you. 176 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:25,680 There is no way, no one can help you. 177 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:30,960 It's only day one and I'm already discovering 178 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:33,960 that the prisoners are scared of the authorities. 179 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:39,360 There have been new rules introduced quite recently by a new commissioner, 180 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:43,000 who is, you know, stamping his sort of authority. 181 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:45,960 You know, ruling this place with an iron fist. 182 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,320 No one seems to be talking to each other. 183 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:51,800 It's quite oppressive and unfriendly. 184 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:56,360 But just the demeanor of some of the prisoners suggests 185 00:09:56,920 --> 00:10:01,800 that they are frightened of the new regime and the new rules. 186 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,240 And this bed is fucking uncomfortable. 187 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:09,160 I can feel the metal under my ass right now. 188 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:14,040 -[lock engages loudly] -This is a cold welcome to Melrose. 189 00:10:14,680 --> 00:10:16,240 I'm hoping that tomorrow 190 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:20,200 I can find out more about the rules Phils is so frightened of. 191 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:22,120 [lights disengage loudly] 192 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:28,400 [birds chirping] 193 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:36,080 It's my first morning and wake-up is at 6:15 sharp. 194 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:39,040 Last week, someone overslept, 195 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:41,840 which is not tolerated under the new regime. 196 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:44,360 He got five days in solitary. 197 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,160 -One day for every minute he was late up. -[morning horn wails] 198 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:52,760 This feels more like an army camp than any prison I've known. 199 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:55,120 It's eerily quiet in here. 200 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:56,960 Still no one's talking. 201 00:10:57,040 --> 00:11:00,480 No one's doing little deals in the corner like in other prisons. 202 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:05,160 These inmates are keeping their heads down so they don't get noticed. 203 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:11,720 There is an air of depression in this room that is so difficult to express right now. 204 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:16,560 It's like it's depression on top of depression on top of depression. 205 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:17,920 It's like a virus. 206 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:20,160 [lock disengages] 207 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:24,840 It's strange seeing everyone carry their plastic tubs out of the dorm. 208 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:31,400 Would you-- Why do you take these things? 209 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:36,440 This is your bag. You have to-- Everything you have to keep inside. 210 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:37,960 [AM radio squawking] 211 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:40,160 Locked out of our cells for the day, 212 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:44,520 I've also got to carry anything I might need in one of these boxes. 213 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:51,120 Breakfast is quick, and from what I'm seeing, pretty basic. 214 00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:56,200 I remember, as a kid, my dad used to say when I was naughty, 215 00:11:56,280 --> 00:11:58,080 "If you don't stop, you'll end up in prison, 216 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:00,120 and all you'll get is bread and water." 217 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:04,640 Many, many, many years on, that's exactly what this is. 218 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,160 -[water trickling] -[Rowe spits] 219 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:15,480 Keeping inmates busy by working them hard to a tight timetable 220 00:12:15,560 --> 00:12:18,080 is central to the Melrose regime. 221 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:21,760 [low chatter] 222 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:22,760 This morning, 223 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:26,280 I've been told to join prisoners making shoes for the guards. 224 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:31,120 It's my chance to find out more about how the prison economy works. 225 00:12:31,560 --> 00:12:34,360 I'm looking for a Jean Michael. Do you know Jean Michael? 226 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:36,040 -Yes, it's me. -Oh, you are Jean Michael? 227 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:37,480 -Yes. -Hi, I'm Raphael. 228 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:38,720 -Yes. -Nice to meet you. 229 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:41,040 -Oh, man, you got a firm grip. -Yeah. [laughs] 230 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:42,920 You're breaking my hand. That was painful. 231 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:44,240 I'm seeing for the first time, 232 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:48,200 it looks like you guys are making shoes or doing something with leather. 233 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:50,760 Yes, we make the shoes of officers. 234 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:57,320 -Every year, we must make 1,800 pairs. -[repeated hammering] 235 00:12:57,600 --> 00:12:58,440 Wow. 236 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:02,920 Jean Michael is a heroin dealer 237 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:06,720 who has four more years to serve of his thirteen-year sentence. 238 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:08,880 Is it your first time in prison? 239 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:10,120 No, the second time. 240 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:11,640 -Second time? -Yeah, second time. 241 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:13,560 So, you didn't learn your lesson the first time? 242 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:15,920 No, I didn't learn the lesson the first time. 243 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:19,000 Inmates are paid just three dollars a week 244 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:20,560 for their work in prison. 245 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:24,400 It's not much money for long hours of intensive work, 246 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:27,080 but it's all they have to spend on extras. 247 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:33,320 Before, our family can deposit 1,000 rupees, 2,000 rupees. 248 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:34,280 You understand? 249 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,080 But now, the new commissioner is stopping. 250 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:39,200 He said-- 251 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:40,840 The new commissioner has stopped 252 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:42,760 -families supporting prisoners. -Yes, yes. 253 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:44,560 Uh... 254 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:48,640 our commissioner feels that this is a better way. 255 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:51,440 And is it? Do you think the prisoners agree with that? 256 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:52,360 No. 257 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:54,680 -They don't? -No, no. I'm not agree. 258 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:58,160 But there's not much to spend money on anyway. 259 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:03,320 The goods found in most prison canteens, which can make life a little better, 260 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:07,560 have been slashed to just a few essentials under the new regime. 261 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:10,760 Was it easier before, under the previous regime, then? 262 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,440 Yes. Before, it was easier. 263 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:18,720 And-- And what impact has that had on, on the prisoners and the prison 264 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:20,080 and the environment? I mean... 265 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:23,520 It's-- It's not easy for us... before. 266 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:25,920 But some people would say that's what prison's about. 267 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:26,880 It's about punishment. 268 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:28,080 You shouldn't have access 269 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:30,600 -to luxury items like Weetabix. -Yes. 270 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:32,400 You know, that's what some people would say. 271 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:34,160 Yes, yes, outside, they say that. 272 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,520 They say that we are in a five-star hotel here. 273 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:43,040 From what I'm seeing, this is a place of forced work 274 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:45,800 and is far from being a luxury hotel. 275 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:50,240 [Rowe] You're not burning your hand? 276 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:53,080 [Jean Michael speaks Mauritian Creole] 277 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:54,920 [in English] You must know how to handle it. 278 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:55,840 [Rowe] Okay. 279 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:58,040 [hammering] 280 00:14:58,600 --> 00:14:59,440 Okay. 281 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:01,840 [hammering continues] 282 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:03,920 [Rowe yelps] 283 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:05,560 [inhales sharply] 284 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:08,200 -It's the technique, isn't it? -[Jean Michael] Yeah, careful. 285 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:12,200 I'm burning, you can see I'm terrified. Look at me. I'm like a pussycat. 286 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:14,680 [yelps, hisses] 287 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:17,720 Okay, that's enough. I've burned my thumb. 288 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:18,920 [laughs] 289 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:23,240 All finished shoes must be quality-tested by an officer. 290 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:26,480 [hammering in background] 291 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:29,280 [pronounced stepping] 292 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:35,160 [man] Good. Very nice. 293 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:37,120 So, who made that? You? 294 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:38,040 [Jean Michael] Yes. 295 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:39,480 A combination of me 296 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:41,920 -and 40 other prisoners, actually. -[man] That's good. 297 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:47,040 Prisoners here are clearly expected to work hard. 298 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:50,720 Those that won't submit and stick to the rules 299 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:54,320 get a stint in the notorious solitary confinement cells. 300 00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:58,640 I want to find out more about it from Jean Michael. 301 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:02,400 Hey, you can get ten days, 302 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:05,800 four-- fourteen days, twenty days, 303 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:08,960 and when... when you... you go there, 304 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:12,680 in-in-in daytime, they take your mattress 305 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:18,280 uh, from you and they leave you in... in the cell. 306 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:21,360 -So you can't even lie down? -No, they put water in the cell. 307 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:24,280 -Water? -Yes, so that you... you can't sit down. 308 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:26,640 -So you have to stand up? -Yes. 309 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:29,000 -They put water on the floor. -Yes, the floor. 310 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:31,800 -Understand? -And that's part of the punishment? 311 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:33,640 -Yes. -And that can happen every day 312 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:35,880 -for five or ten days? -Every day, every day, every day. 313 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:37,040 Till you are there. 314 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:39,600 [Rowe] So, they-- 315 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:43,040 There's something... I-I-I can't talk because... 316 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:44,520 -Okay. Okay. -See. 317 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:46,520 Now I can talk because no one is here. 318 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:47,720 -Okay. -You understand? 319 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:48,880 -Okay. -Yeah. 320 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:50,600 Yeah, it's very hard. 321 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:52,680 What did you do to end up in there? 322 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:54,920 They get telephone with me. 323 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:56,920 -Oh, you got caught with a telephone? -Yes. 324 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,160 -One of those little ones? -No, no, the big one. 325 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:00,240 -Oh. -Yes. 326 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:02,160 [low chatter] 327 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:10,079 It's been an interesting workshop, that's for sure. 328 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:11,119 Not only have I learned 329 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:12,880 -how to make leather shoes... -[guard] Okay. 330 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:14,760 ...but I found out a lot about this prison. 331 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,720 What I'm learning is that there's a hard edge to Melrose Prison 332 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:24,119 if you fall foul of the new regime and its rules. 333 00:17:25,839 --> 00:17:29,680 I'm back in my block with Phils for dinner at 3:30 sharp. 334 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:32,600 -Okay. -First, for your bread. 335 00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:36,320 -[Rowe] One... Two bread? -Yeah, two bread. You get two bread. 336 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:39,360 -Thanks. Okay. -This is your evening food. 337 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:40,840 Oh, it looks like pasta. 338 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:43,360 [Phils] Yeah. And, uh, here you get some soup. 339 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:46,360 Inmates are queuing quietly, 340 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:49,120 but I'm getting used to the weird lack of noise. 341 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,360 -[low murmuring] -[birds chirping] 342 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:53,920 A fellow inmate, Peter, 343 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:58,400 reveals to me everyone is so subdued because of the latest rule: 344 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:00,560 A total smoking ban. 345 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:04,640 When they stopped, uh, the cigarettes in the prison, 346 00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:08,520 myself and some of the guys, we started smoking leaves, 347 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:12,880 just to get that, um, what would you say, the craving away. 348 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:14,200 But the... The thing that you... 349 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:16,240 Every time when you finish food you need a smoke. 350 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:17,840 -Or when you finish your tea... -Yeah. 351 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:19,960 ...you need a smoke like that, just to get that off. 352 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:22,640 But they're more bad for you than anything else. 353 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:25,320 -Everybody suffered the same thing. -True. 354 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:27,200 Everybody's suffering the same thing, sir. 355 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:32,560 In every prison I spent time in, cigarettes are hugely important. 356 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:36,720 A tiny pleasure for many inmates and an informal currency. 357 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:38,360 They've banned cigarettes. 358 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:42,760 There are some prisons that I know would riot 359 00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:46,520 if they dared suggest withdrawing cigarettes. 360 00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:50,800 Melrose is so determined to maintain total control 361 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:55,600 over the prisoners that overnight, it removed the inmates' right to smoke. 362 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:59,440 It's all part of stopping the illicit prisoner economy, 363 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:01,400 but it feels extreme. 364 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:11,640 [crickets, birds chirping] 365 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:15,120 It's the start of my third day in Melrose. 366 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:19,040 I've been assigned to the furniture workshop today 367 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:23,760 and find myself alongside Peter, who is a drug smuggler. 368 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:25,640 [Rowe] You're doing the other job? 369 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:28,520 I want to know why everyone seems so scared. 370 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:32,800 One of the things that has, in the time that I've been here... 371 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:35,200 -Okay. -...that is really worrying me, 372 00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:37,440 or I can't quite put my finger on, 373 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:39,800 and it's what you're doing right now, Peter, 374 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:41,640 -which is the whispering conversation. -Yeah. 375 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:45,200 It's like if you're overheard, you're exposing yourself to something. 376 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:47,400 What is it that I'm whispering? Why am I whispering? 377 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:49,880 -Why am I having squirreled conversations? -Um... 378 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:52,320 Like, I can't be myself. I have to behave. 379 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,920 And you're-- You're doing that smile now, where you know what I'm talking about. 380 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:57,520 -[laughs] Yeah. -What is it? What is it? 381 00:19:57,600 --> 00:19:58,440 Um... 382 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:01,800 Put it this way, fear of retribution. 383 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:03,040 Fear of retribution? 384 00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:05,240 -That's it, yeah. -By prisoners or prison officers? 385 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:07,040 Uh, the administration. 386 00:20:07,120 --> 00:20:08,200 Administration. 387 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:13,320 The retribution the prisoners fear most 388 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,160 is being locked up in the prisoner's punishment cells. 389 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:19,800 [Rowe] The thing I'm hearing is, since the new commissioner took over, 390 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:22,600 his, you know, running of prisons across the country, 391 00:20:23,120 --> 00:20:25,640 that the-- That the kind of discipline 392 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:30,240 through rules that he's introduced has really caused a stir. 393 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:31,840 He's not appeasing the public. 394 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:34,600 He's appeasing the people that... that have put him in place. 395 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,480 That is the whole thing. It's like "Oh, it comes down to politics." 396 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:39,880 -Yeah. Okay. -It always comes down to politics. 397 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:41,680 Yeah. 398 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:44,080 Makes you think, doesn't it? 399 00:20:47,360 --> 00:20:52,040 Melrose's fierce reputation of extreme punishment for bad behavior 400 00:20:52,120 --> 00:20:55,440 is clearly what's intimidating the inmates I've met. 401 00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:58,120 Anyone who breaks the rules, 402 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:02,480 from oversleeping to being caught with a phone or even smoking a cigarette, 403 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:05,840 gets banged up in the most feared corner of the prison: 404 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:10,520 The Special Protection Unit or SPU. 405 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:16,320 [in Mauritian Creole] Show him in here, get the keys. 406 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:18,800 You. Come! 407 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:28,280 I'm being shown this grim place as a warning by the commanding officer. 408 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:31,160 [in Mauritian Creole] If you disobey, 409 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:32,920 if you commit an offense, 410 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:34,600 you'll be condemned. 411 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:37,520 If we find contraband on you, 412 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:39,720 like a cigarette, 413 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:45,800 you are sent here for 16 days. 414 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:48,560 You've been warned. 415 00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:50,720 There's no getting out of it. 416 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:56,480 -[in English] You'll be here. -Okay. 417 00:21:57,480 --> 00:21:58,640 If I offend, 418 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:02,960 I'll be locked up here alone for 23 hours a day. 419 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:06,880 It brings back memories of my own time inside. 420 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:08,520 Dead space. 421 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:10,440 This is what this is. This is dead space. 422 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:12,960 This is somewhere where your thoughts bounce off of the wall. 423 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:15,600 This is somewhere where you find it hard to breathe. 424 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:18,680 This is somewhere where you know you are being punished. 425 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:21,160 'Cause I experienced this many times myself. 426 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:24,560 So my heart's racing. My mind is remembering. 427 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:27,200 You either have it in you to cope with it 428 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:28,560 or you don't. 429 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:32,200 You can scratch at the walls, bang at the doors. 430 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:35,880 It gets worse if you do that, and believe me, 431 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:37,760 I've done it, so I know. 432 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:40,240 [lock engages loudly] 433 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:42,760 I need to ask some serious questions. 434 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:44,720 [Rowe] One of the prisoners here told me 435 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:46,880 that when they're not behaving down here, 436 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:50,080 that one of the forms of punishment is to put water on the floor. 437 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:51,840 -No, no. -So when you take the mattress out, 438 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:53,960 they can't lay on the bed. You put water on the floor, 439 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,040 so they can't lay on the floor. That doesn't happen? 440 00:22:56,120 --> 00:22:57,080 No, no, no, no. 441 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:01,480 [in Mauritian Creole] As far as I know, this never happens here. 442 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:03,320 And I have never seen this. 443 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:04,920 Never. 444 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:07,240 He is lying. 445 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:10,400 After all my years behind bars, 446 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:12,680 I'm not sure I believe this denial. 447 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:16,360 The dreadful reputation of the Special Protection Unit 448 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:20,960 does a pretty effective job of keeping the inmates compliant. 449 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:23,840 What did you do? 450 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:26,600 I... refused to swallow. 451 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:29,120 -[man] Methadone. -Methadone. 452 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:31,120 -Oh, you're an addict. -Yes. 453 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:34,320 Oh, you're a drug user. Why? If they're trying to help you. 454 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:36,640 Trafficking it. Methadone. 455 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:38,440 -That's what you're in for? -Yes. 456 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:40,480 How long are you gonna be in here for? 457 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:41,800 Tomorrow, I get out. 458 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:44,040 -How long have you been here? -Ten days. 459 00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:45,000 What's it like? 460 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:46,520 It's okay. 461 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:47,600 This is okay? 462 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:48,680 It's okay, man. 463 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:49,600 That's a lie. 464 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:52,680 That's not okay. That's punishment. 465 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,360 I can see it in your eyes. Your eyes look like... 466 00:23:56,120 --> 00:23:57,960 you're a contained animal. 467 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:03,560 You can't deal with the new rules, so you're getting yourself in trouble. 468 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:04,560 Out of law. 469 00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:05,960 I'm an outlaw. 470 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:08,000 And you are all by yourself. 471 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:09,000 Yes. 472 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:10,320 And that's painful. 473 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:11,280 Yes, painful. 474 00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:13,360 -And your eyes tell me that. -Yes. 475 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:15,520 It's dark in there. Do you not have no light? 476 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:16,560 You can light it. 477 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:18,600 Oh, but-- Can I turn it on? 478 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:19,640 Yes. 479 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:22,400 Okay, so you don't have no mattress in there? 480 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:23,520 In the evening. 481 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:25,680 -Oh, you get it in the evening. -Yes. 482 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,800 So you lie down, you lie down on the hard metal... Metal. 483 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:30,160 Yes. I walk. 484 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:31,160 You just walk? 485 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:33,280 Good luck, man. 486 00:24:33,360 --> 00:24:34,200 Okay. Thank you. 487 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:36,000 -Thank you for talking to me. -Yes. 488 00:24:39,120 --> 00:24:41,640 -You must be always left... -The left. 489 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:45,240 -...because I am a "right" man, okay? -You hit me with your right-- 490 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:46,760 No! I can defend my-- 491 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:49,440 Are you getting this? I have to always be on his left 492 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:52,080 because he's a right-handed man. 493 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:54,040 Have you had to use that before then? 494 00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:55,480 No, I don't use. 495 00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:56,760 -Yes, you have. -I don't. 496 00:24:56,840 --> 00:24:59,040 -Yes. You've never punched a prisoner? -No. 497 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:08,720 [birds chirping] 498 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:10,800 Everything I'm experiencing 499 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:14,840 tells me that Melrose is a prison that inspires fear. 500 00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:17,400 Catching up with Jean Michael, 501 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:20,400 I wonder how he copes with this place. 502 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,680 Turns out, he has a unique approach. 503 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:27,360 Inside my head, I have a friend... 504 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:28,880 -Okay. -...named Chica. 505 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:30,120 -Chica? -Yes. 506 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:35,240 And, uh, Chica accompany me for all nine years in prison. 507 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:40,040 I talk with... with Chica in myself, uh, alone. 508 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:42,560 I say, "Chica, what we'll do now? 509 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:44,520 We already sentenced 13 years. 510 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,280 Family gone. Wife gone. 511 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:51,560 Everything lose. House, money, finish. 512 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:54,000 Now I'm here. What to do?" 513 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:55,840 Is Chica a woman or a man? 514 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:57,080 -A woman. -A woman. 515 00:25:57,160 --> 00:25:58,480 Yes. Chica is a woman. 516 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:00,040 -Okay. -[chuckles] 517 00:26:00,120 --> 00:26:01,480 What does Chica look like? 518 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:04,800 Hey, very good, man. [laughs] 519 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:06,640 -A princess. -Princess. 520 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:08,240 -Yes. -Okay. 521 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:10,640 And that's helped you cope with your sentence? 522 00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:11,600 Yes. 523 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:13,280 Now, uh... 524 00:26:13,360 --> 00:26:14,240 Till now. 525 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:15,800 Till now. 526 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:18,040 When I'm talking to you, Chica's with me. 527 00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:20,000 -Okay. -But I don't tell anyone. 528 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:21,600 -You told me. -I tell no one. 529 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:24,400 Yes, I told you because you're a friend like me. 530 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:26,200 -Okay. -Yes, I will not talk to... 531 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:27,560 to an official like this. 532 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:28,920 Would that get you in trouble? 533 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:30,640 Do you think they will try to... 534 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:32,160 No, they would take me like a fool. 535 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:36,800 Say, "Hey, this man is talking that, he has a friend inside," you see? 536 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:40,160 Yeah, but actually it's a clever way of coping with your sentence. 537 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:41,120 Yes. 538 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:43,720 Chica, the imaginary friend. 539 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:01,320 Sunday is a day off from laboring in the workshops, 540 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:03,360 but no time to rest. 541 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:07,360 Today, our block must attend a group therapy meeting. 542 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:10,280 [low chatter] 543 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:15,280 [man in Mauritian Creole] Let's take a chance. 544 00:27:15,360 --> 00:27:16,440 [group] Let's take a chance. 545 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:18,320 -[man] To rebuild. -[group] To rebuild. 546 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:20,120 -What we've destroyed. -What we've destroyed. 547 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:21,600 -And give meaning. -And give meaning. 548 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:23,080 -To our lives. -To our lives. 549 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:24,560 [inmates applaud] 550 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:28,600 Officially, this is a place for inmates to discuss their worries. 551 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:31,480 But it's also a chance for the welfare officer 552 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:34,080 to find out what's on the prisoner's minds. 553 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:39,440 Today, they're discussing the smoking ban that the prison says improves health. 554 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:45,040 So, it's a good thing or a bad thing that the, uh, implementation has? 555 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:48,680 We feel bad because the way they stop it was not good. 556 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:51,720 The way they stop it, it was very bad for us 557 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:53,480 because there was-- It was a stop. 558 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:55,960 A stop. No delay, nothing. 559 00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:59,960 [in Mauritian Creole] They stopped cigarettes straight away. 560 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:02,280 To intimidate us, helicopters flew in. 561 00:28:02,360 --> 00:28:03,200 [inmates laugh] 562 00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:07,760 They abseiled off the choppers like in a movie. 563 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:13,520 They shouted, "Who are the bosses? Get on the ground!" 564 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:15,400 We were confused and scared. 565 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:17,640 Because it wasn't done for people's health. 566 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:19,120 It was done for something else, sir. 567 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:21,680 It was only done because of the "trafficking" 568 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:23,160 that was going on in prison, 569 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:25,640 um, and the cigarettes that were being used. 570 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,160 We physically worked in the workshops for those cigarettes. 571 00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:31,280 For the 16 cigarettes or 10 or 12, however much it would be. 572 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:33,280 So it wasn't that we were getting it for free. 573 00:28:33,360 --> 00:28:35,480 We were not getting it for free, we were working for it. 574 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:39,560 It seems odd that everyone is freely voicing their opinions here 575 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:42,920 given how scared they are saying anything most of the time. 576 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:47,160 You say it starts and it finishes here and that's a good thing to hear. 577 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:52,440 But I wonder if there is an undercurrent of consequences when you do speak out. 578 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:54,480 [man in Mauritian Creole] For what I've just said, 579 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:57,440 please check on me tomorrow. If I'm still here, I'm safe. 580 00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:01,000 -[inmates laugh] -But if they say Rene can't be found, 581 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:02,520 you know I'm in trouble. 582 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:05,280 There's a lot of frustration among the... 583 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:07,800 the prisoners here. 584 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:11,360 There's nothing they can do apart from voice their opinion. 585 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,640 I don't believe that anything they say about the rules 586 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:17,200 will have any effect on the authorities. 587 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:22,480 This is clearly a prison that knows how to keep inmates in their place. 588 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:25,520 [whimsical lounge music plays] 589 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:27,120 [birds chirping] 590 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:34,200 But it's not completely bleak. 591 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:39,280 Behave yourself and there are the occasional small rewards on offer. 592 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:53,000 [man] Breathe out. 593 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:03,520 Philip Wang has been a Tai Chi instructor for over 30 years. 594 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:05,840 He's not a prison officer, 595 00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:08,880 but he's seen enough to believe a privilege like this 596 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:10,640 can help change lives. 597 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:12,680 And exhale. 598 00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:14,760 Why do you do it? 599 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:17,920 Most people think that these guys should be in here 600 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:18,960 -and left to rot. -Yeah. 601 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:22,080 One day they have to return back to their families. 602 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:23,160 To their community. 603 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:26,320 We have to help them do the right thing. 604 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:29,000 Are there any prisoners that you won't accept on your class 605 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:31,800 because of their behavior or because they're a control problem 606 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:33,080 or because they may be a threat 607 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:35,600 -to your program? -You know, we don't judge them. 608 00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:37,760 We just love them. 609 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:41,160 We have the love they don't receive from outside. 610 00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:42,720 We give it inside. 611 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:46,320 Even the Commissioner of Prisons phoned me, a direct call. 612 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:51,280 He said, "Philip, I congratulate you. I've never seen prisoners 613 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:54,440 at five o'clock in the morning so committed to exercise." 614 00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:58,080 [Rowe] Why don't they introduce it as compulsory? 615 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:02,040 Everybody could attend Philip's Tai Chi class once a week 616 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:04,440 in the yard, so you've got 800 prisoners. 617 00:31:04,520 --> 00:31:08,000 Yes, that's our goal. That's our goal. You know that's our goal. 618 00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:11,520 But we still have to walk little by little 619 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:14,160 for people to understand. 620 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:16,480 You know, we're here to help. That's all. 621 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:18,520 We're here to encourage you, that's all. 622 00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:20,200 We're not here to judge you. 623 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:22,240 [Rowe] It's like a magnet. 624 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:23,560 Yes, you can feel that. 625 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:25,640 -I can feel that. -Yeah, yeah. Yes. Just... yeah. 626 00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:28,960 In a few minutes, you'll feel that you're relaxed. 627 00:31:29,040 --> 00:31:31,840 You're outside, you're not within the four walls. 628 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:36,400 Its purpose is to de-stress the mind and the body 629 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:38,520 and that's exactly what it does. 630 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:42,360 But more importantly, you know, if you want law-abiding citizens 631 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:43,560 to come out of prison, 632 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:46,120 this is something that can help achieve that. 633 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:58,680 It's my fifth morning, and I'm reporting to the kitchen. 634 00:31:59,320 --> 00:32:02,840 Everything I've seen so far has been about the prison authorities 635 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:06,160 keeping the prisoners firmly under their control. 636 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:08,400 But comply with the rules 637 00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:11,960 and there are some surprising opportunities on offer, 638 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:13,600 if you know where to find them. 639 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:17,480 I'm working with an inmate who has turned his life around 640 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:21,240 in the unlikely setting of the prison's pastry department. 641 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:23,200 So who will I be working with? 642 00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:25,680 You will be working with this guy. 643 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:27,640 -This guy. -His name is Winley Barbe. 644 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:28,800 -Winley Barbe. -Okay? 645 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:31,120 Nice to meet you, Winley Barbe. That goes on. 646 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:34,200 Here I go. I can't dress myself. I need help. 647 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:38,400 We're making traditional Napolitaine biscuits 648 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:40,200 for officers only. 649 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:45,040 [in Mauritian Creole] Not too hard on the rolling pin. 650 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:46,240 Go lightly. 651 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:48,440 -Like that. -Okay. 652 00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:51,560 What was you like before you discovered pastry? 653 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:55,480 Outside, I was a bad boy. 654 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:01,720 Stealing stuff, doing drugs, 655 00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:03,040 lots of things. 656 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:06,520 I got five years for burglary. 657 00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:09,160 How many times have you been to prison? 658 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:10,920 -[in English] Three times. -Three times. 659 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:19,040 [in Mauritian Creole] I have three kids by three different women. 660 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:22,040 You're a player, right? Huh? 661 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:29,120 I've left prison three times and made three kids. 662 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:31,440 Ignoring Winley's love life, 663 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:34,840 it's Winley's mum that's his true inspiration. 664 00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:38,600 My mum used to be healthy. 665 00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:41,240 But now she's got health problems. 666 00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:43,440 Blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease. 667 00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:49,560 She told me to change 668 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:52,680 before she passes away. 669 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:55,720 So I decided to change. 670 00:33:57,200 --> 00:34:00,240 There is nobody more important to us than our mothers. 671 00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:04,560 Winley is determined to make this his last prison sentence. 672 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:07,520 As soon as he started working in the kitchens, 673 00:34:07,600 --> 00:34:09,679 he discovered his love of pastry. 674 00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:12,679 He's taken full advantage of the system 675 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:16,000 of compulsory work by devoting the last two years 676 00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:18,719 to learning pastry-making from scratch. 677 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:21,719 This is rehabilitation at its best. 678 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:25,880 I work hard here because I've realized 679 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:30,280 how it's helping to change my life. 680 00:34:30,719 --> 00:34:34,199 I came here to learn pastry. 681 00:34:34,679 --> 00:34:35,960 I'm the "Master of Pastry" now.  682 00:34:36,679 --> 00:34:40,080 Despite no experience before his time in prison, 683 00:34:40,159 --> 00:34:44,040 Winley has just gained a national diploma in pastry-making 684 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:45,639 earning a distinction. 685 00:34:46,639 --> 00:34:48,280 [Rowe] Wait for that? Twelve minutes? 686 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:50,400 [low chattering] 687 00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:56,159 In prison, you rarely hear that your mum is proud of you. 688 00:34:56,760 --> 00:34:59,240 But mine is proud of me. 689 00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:02,840 Winley's getting out in two months 690 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:06,800 and plans to make a new life on the outside as a pastry chef. 691 00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:08,840 I really hope he makes it. 692 00:35:09,240 --> 00:35:15,360 I want to be boss... 693 00:35:15,760 --> 00:35:19,280 of my own pastry business. 694 00:35:20,560 --> 00:35:23,800 You're not gonna be tempted by drugs and crime anymore? 695 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:25,960 [in English] Positive thinking. 696 00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:28,720 Take with this, and hold with this. Okay. 697 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:30,600 Over here. 698 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:33,080 Mm. 699 00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:35,640 Oh, this smells so good. 700 00:35:35,720 --> 00:35:38,600 The prison cannot force prisoners to change. 701 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:41,520 They can give them opportunities, um, or reward them. 702 00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:45,080 But it takes an individual to want to change 703 00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:49,080 and he has found something in prison that has given him a new purpose in life. 704 00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:07,200 Melrose houses the most serious criminals in Mauritius. 705 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:13,200 But even the strict rules and regime here cannot contain some of the prisoners. 706 00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:17,280 Instead, they're kept in the Phoenix Unit, 707 00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:21,280 a facility designed to hold the worst of the worst. 708 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:26,280 I've heard one of the country's most notorious killers is held in it, 709 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:28,080 and I'm going there to meet him. 710 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:33,680 Thirty-four-year-old Nazarene Tenge 711 00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:37,440 was moved here after setting fire to his Melrose cell 712 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:39,720 and repeatedly attacking inmates. 713 00:36:40,240 --> 00:36:43,320 He has been incarcerated since 2004 714 00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:46,840 for raping and then strangling two women to death. 715 00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:51,040 He has allegedly boasted to guards of other murders, 716 00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:52,680 but, as yet, they're unproven. 717 00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:56,280 I'm feeling very nervous of meeting a man 718 00:36:56,360 --> 00:36:57,600 described as a monster. 719 00:36:57,680 --> 00:36:59,600 Knowing a little bit about what he's in there for, 720 00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:01,280 I don't want to touch his hand, 721 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:04,840 so I've asked the guard to make sure that he knows that. 722 00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:08,280 -Are we good? -Yeah, yeah. 723 00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:09,920 -Let's go? -Yeah. Okay. 724 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:12,160 [tense music plays] 725 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:19,320 Shall we... 726 00:37:19,760 --> 00:37:20,880 Shall we sit down? 727 00:37:25,080 --> 00:37:27,400 Am I in danger sitting here talking to you? 728 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:29,720 [in Mauritian Creole] No, there's no problem. 729 00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:33,480 Why did you kill two women? 730 00:37:43,080 --> 00:37:47,520 On that day, I was with my friends 731 00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:52,480 and we were very drunk, 732 00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:56,720 smoking pot, 733 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:00,240 drinking booze. 734 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:04,280 I don't know what we were doing. 735 00:38:05,560 --> 00:38:09,520 We went to a nightclub, 736 00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:15,520 and we continued to drink. 737 00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:20,440 We met that girl. 738 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:26,560 She gave us a price for her time with us. 739 00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:28,800 We agreed. 740 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:32,960 We took her to Balaclava Bay. 741 00:38:33,720 --> 00:38:40,720 And that's where the others sodomized her. 742 00:38:41,040 --> 00:38:42,880 To not get charged by the police for sodomy, 743 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:44,600 we decided to destroy her. 744 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:47,400 We didn't just kill her for nothing. 745 00:38:48,880 --> 00:38:51,080 Was it you that strangled her? 746 00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:53,000 Yes, I strangled her. 747 00:38:56,120 --> 00:38:59,760 How did you feel at the time that you were strangling this woman 748 00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:02,440 knowing that you were taking her life? 749 00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:08,840 We strangled her, killed her, burned her, destroyed the body. 750 00:39:11,320 --> 00:39:12,200 We burned her! 751 00:39:13,680 --> 00:39:14,640 We burned her, 752 00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:17,920 with car tires, petrol and that's all. 753 00:39:19,760 --> 00:39:21,200 And then you killed again? 754 00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:26,440 When I'm having fun with my friends, 755 00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:30,320 drinking, eating, 756 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:34,760 doing everything together, 757 00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:38,840 that's when we tend to commit brutal offenses. 758 00:39:40,160 --> 00:39:42,040 Do you have any remorse? 759 00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:43,240 Yes, I do. 760 00:39:44,040 --> 00:39:46,000 I would say that I am sick. 761 00:39:47,760 --> 00:39:52,960 I'd say that if my family took me to a doctor when I was younger, 762 00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:54,320 I'd have been better. 763 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:56,880 They didn't know where to take me. 764 00:39:57,160 --> 00:39:59,640 They thought I was possessed. 765 00:39:59,720 --> 00:40:06,600 That some people put an evil spell on me. 766 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:08,960 Cut. 767 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:17,400 I find it very hard to hear about such terrible crimes. 768 00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:20,920 Tenge is serving two life sentences, 769 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:24,320 and the prison system is managing him with medication, 770 00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:27,560 to prevent violence against himself and others. 771 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:31,520 He'll spend the rest of his days in solitary confinement. 772 00:40:31,920 --> 00:40:35,440 The public need to know that men like that are off the streets. 773 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:39,080 That men who ooze this kind of evil, 774 00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:42,480 are going to spend the rest of their lives in prison. 775 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:44,520 And he will. He will rot in prison. 776 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:46,160 He will die in prison. 777 00:40:46,240 --> 00:40:50,240 There is no rehabilitation, in my view, for men like that. 778 00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:54,320 And so containment is all you've got. 779 00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:03,280 On my final morning back at Melrose, 780 00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:05,240 I'm with Pastry Chef Winley. 781 00:41:05,640 --> 00:41:09,880 His model behavior has earned him an extra visit from his mum this month. 782 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:13,320 She's excited about his imminent release 783 00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:17,480 and still can't quite get over his life-changing transformation, 784 00:41:17,560 --> 00:41:20,440 thanks to this toughest of prison regimes. 785 00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:24,000 [in Mauritian Creole] I know that you've changed. 786 00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:29,960 I'm thankful for the chance 787 00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:35,760 this prison has given you to do something. 788 00:41:36,120 --> 00:41:41,360 You've learned a lot about yourself and life. 789 00:41:41,720 --> 00:41:42,760 Understand? 790 00:41:42,840 --> 00:41:46,600 How you were and how you've evolved. 791 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:49,040 I'm happy. 792 00:41:49,360 --> 00:41:50,400 So happy for you. 793 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:59,400 Hey, don't cry. You need to be strong. 794 00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:00,600 You are strong. 795 00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:03,040 Winley's youngest son, Weylon, 796 00:42:03,120 --> 00:42:05,840 has also made the visit, along with Grandpa. 797 00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:07,760 [mother] Come on, talk to Daddy. 798 00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:11,000 Speak with Daddy. 799 00:42:11,640 --> 00:42:13,720 -Say, "Hi, Dad." -[Winley in Mauritian Creole] Hello. 800 00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:17,240 [chuckles] 801 00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:20,600 [in Mauritian Creole] I love you. 802 00:42:21,200 --> 00:42:22,560 And I love you so much. 803 00:42:23,800 --> 00:42:25,320 [Weylon speaking in Mauritian Creole] 804 00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:29,360 It's really moving to see the hope this family has 805 00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:31,800 -of a life together outside prison. -[Weylon shouts] 806 00:42:34,280 --> 00:42:35,640 When Winley leaves, 807 00:42:35,720 --> 00:42:40,200 he'll be in better shape to face family life and build a future 808 00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:42,720 and not return for a fourth stretch. 809 00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:48,000 [in Mauritian Creole] I must clean my face. 810 00:42:48,080 --> 00:42:49,080 It's okay.  811 00:42:56,560 --> 00:42:58,040 It's my final day, 812 00:42:58,120 --> 00:43:01,680 and I'm meeting Mr. Appadoo, the Commissioner of Prisons 813 00:43:01,760 --> 00:43:06,880 and architect of the regime here, to talk about his zero-tolerance approach 814 00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:07,880 at Melrose. 815 00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:13,800 What is the purpose of prison in Mauritius? 816 00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:15,080 What's the philosophy? 817 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:18,200 There were so many misconceptions in the prison, 818 00:43:18,280 --> 00:43:19,840 like this one here in Melrose. 819 00:43:19,920 --> 00:43:21,680 People thought there was a swimming pool here. 820 00:43:22,520 --> 00:43:24,360 But it's not-- It's not the case. 821 00:43:24,440 --> 00:43:26,800 It's a place where prisoners get punished. 822 00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:29,360 It's a place where prisoners get rehabilitated. 823 00:43:29,440 --> 00:43:31,440 They've got many opportunities, 824 00:43:31,520 --> 00:43:34,320 so they've got to seize these opportunities. 825 00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:39,120 The banning of cigarettes in prison has really affected the prisoners. 826 00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:40,360 Why is that necessary? 827 00:43:40,440 --> 00:43:44,080 Um, cigarettes is what was the currency in the prison. 828 00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:46,720 All the fights over there was for cigarettes. 829 00:43:47,120 --> 00:43:50,680 So when somebody would have cigarettes, you have somebody coming in with a weapon, 830 00:43:50,760 --> 00:43:52,480 would put up under his neck, 831 00:43:52,560 --> 00:43:53,960 and would snatch his cigarettes. 832 00:43:54,320 --> 00:43:56,200 I've created a justice in prison. 833 00:43:56,280 --> 00:43:58,920 You know, I sleep with prison in my head. 834 00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:03,400 Every day, I come to see what I can do for the prisoners, for my staff as well. 835 00:44:03,480 --> 00:44:05,360 In the prison, you have... 836 00:44:05,440 --> 00:44:07,160 You need to have a strict regime. 837 00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:09,560 They are being deprived of their liberty. 838 00:44:10,320 --> 00:44:13,080 But being deprived of their liberty means 839 00:44:13,160 --> 00:44:16,760 deprived of many things that you have to enjoy in society. 840 00:44:16,840 --> 00:44:19,560 This is a prison. This is not Mama's house. 841 00:44:20,320 --> 00:44:23,080 People in the prison should be afraid of the punishment you have. 842 00:44:23,160 --> 00:44:26,280 If they are not afraid here of any punishment or anything, 843 00:44:26,360 --> 00:44:28,320 they will create a havoc in the prison. 844 00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:31,840 There is no small prisoner. There is no big prisoner. 845 00:44:31,920 --> 00:44:36,760 Everybody is in the same level, and this is being very much appreciated 846 00:44:36,840 --> 00:44:38,360 by the prisoners themselves. 847 00:44:38,720 --> 00:44:41,800 There's a fine line between between being strict 848 00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:43,520 and ruling with an iron fist. 849 00:44:43,600 --> 00:44:46,120 My role as Commissioner of Prison, 850 00:44:46,200 --> 00:44:47,320 as a citizen, 851 00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:51,120 I make sure that people are afraid of coming in prison. 852 00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:59,040 He had the eyes of a man that is driven by the passion of his job. 853 00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:03,600 He wants to change the lives of prisoners, the perception of the public. 854 00:45:05,240 --> 00:45:09,000 And he doesn't shy away from how he's doing that. 855 00:45:09,920 --> 00:45:12,640 Discipline is necessary. 856 00:45:14,280 --> 00:45:15,680 My time here is up, 857 00:45:15,760 --> 00:45:19,480 and I feel I've learned a lot about how the system works in Mauritius, 858 00:45:19,560 --> 00:45:22,720 and the tough rules that set Melrose apart. 859 00:45:25,520 --> 00:45:28,920 Like many prisons, this place is tough if you don't follow the rules. 860 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:32,640 But unlike many other prisons, it doesn't just talk about rehabilitation, 861 00:45:32,720 --> 00:45:34,160 it actually does it. 862 00:45:34,240 --> 00:45:38,000 And I think that's a pretty impressive ambition.