1 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:08,760 [Rowe] La Reforma Prison, 2 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:10,920 home to over 3,000 3 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,000 of the most dangerous criminals in Costa Rica. 4 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,240 Plagued by squalid conditions and overcrowding... 5 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:19,800 [shouting] 6 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,000 [Rowe] ...it's overrun with drugs... 7 00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:25,600 I get you anything you want. [laughs] 8 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:26,520 Really. 9 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:28,480 [Rowe] ...and deadly violence, 10 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:34,600 making this one of Latin America's most feared maximum security prisons. 11 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:37,720 My name is Raphael Rowe. 12 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:42,520 I'm spending a week locked up inside this Costa Rican prison, 13 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,240 but it's not my first time behind bars. 14 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,760 I served 12 years for a murder I didn't commit. 15 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:55,280 Now, I'm traveling the globe to discover what life is really like 16 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:58,640 inside some of the world's toughest prisons. 17 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:10,560 Costa Rica: one of the world's top tourist destinations. 18 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,000 But there's a dark side to this Central American paradise. 19 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,960 In the last five years, a wave of violent crime 20 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,640 has filled the prisons to bursting point. 21 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:26,600 Before I do time in the notorious La Reforma Penitentiary, 22 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:29,560 I'm joining a police stop and search mission 23 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:31,960 in the capital, San José, 24 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:35,400 to find out what's fueling this surge in bloodshed. 25 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,800 So, police are carrying out quite a serious operation here. 26 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:41,360 [in Spanish] The international drugs cartels 27 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:47,360 are invading our Costa Rica, our borders. 28 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,320 So, their arrival is increasing the use of drugs, 29 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,120 and also crime, in our country. 30 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:54,840 [Rowe] Costa Rica has become 31 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,080 an important trafficking route for cocaine, 32 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:01,240 heading north to Mexico and the United States. 33 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,440 The flood of drugs has fueled a spike in gang violence, 34 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:10,440 and Costa Rica's murder rate has spiraled out of control. 35 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,280 The increased crime rates here in Costa Rica means 36 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:19,480 more people are being sent to prison. 37 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:22,200 And the prisons have a problem with overcrowding. 38 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,400 And the prisons themselves, I'm told, are appalling. 39 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:28,960 The conditions are appalling, and they're violent places. 40 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:33,400 Costa Rica's most dangerous criminals 41 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:38,720 are held at the country's largest maximum security prison, La Reforma. 42 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:43,680 And that's where I'm heading now, to spend a week as an inmate 43 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,560 and find out for myself just how bad it really is. 44 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:53,760 [guard] Shoes off. 45 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:57,680 [Rowe] The first step to becoming an inmate is a security check. 46 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:02,600 [in Spanish] Turn around. Open your mouth. 47 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:06,520 You can put them on. 48 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:08,760 Do you often find things? 49 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:12,000 Do prisoners often have things, at this moment, in your search? 50 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:17,680 [in Spanish] Yes, that's why we do this, because we often find sharp objects, 51 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:20,880 razor blades, or other items that can physically harm you. 52 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:25,400 [Rowe] It's hardly the most invasive search I've ever had, 53 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:29,240 so I can imagine a quantity of contraband does get in. 54 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:35,240 I'm also warned about lethal weapons handmade by inmates. 55 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:40,440 Cigarette lighters with pieces of metal coming out the end. 56 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:42,400 I mean, you can just imagine. 57 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:46,200 And then you've got this kind of thing that somebody can hold, 58 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:48,360 just a sharpened piece of steel. 59 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:54,280 I've seen every weapon you can possibly imagine 60 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:55,480 made by a prisoner. 61 00:03:55,560 --> 00:04:00,720 I've seen 'em be used. I know how dangerous these things can be. 62 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:03,120 So, you can't, for one minute, let your guard down, 63 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,600 whether you are a prisoner, a prison guard, or a visitor, 64 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,720 because you don't know who might be carrying one of these weapons. 65 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:15,080 After photographs and fingerprints, I'll be taken to quarantine, 66 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:17,519 where the authorities risk assess prisoners 67 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,600 and isolate those with violent criminal rivalries. 68 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:23,960 I'm not looking forward to it, if I'm honest, 69 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:26,080 because I don't know who I'm gonna meet in there. 70 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:30,680 And it's always the kind of edgier place of a prison at the very start. 71 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:38,160 This is the cell? 72 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:45,800 -[Rowe speaking Spanish] -[prisoner speaking Spanish] 73 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:53,000 How are you doing? My name is Raphael. Nice to meet you. Raphael. 74 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,320 So, how long are you expecting to be held in here? 75 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:01,560 [in Spanish] It depends. If they haven't allocated you here in the prison, 76 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:07,560 you might be here 15 days, 22 days until you get assigned a place. 77 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:12,040 This is my first taste of Costa Rica's La Reforma Prison. 78 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:14,680 And just coming through this area here, 79 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:18,560 it already makes me feel like I'm being caged like an animal. 80 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:22,320 [in Spanish] It stinks here. Without light, without anything. 81 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:27,040 [prisoner] Here, it's tougher. It's tough. 82 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:28,520 Here, you have to survive alone. 83 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:29,840 You have to survive, 84 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:32,280 and if you don't have family here, you won't survive. 85 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:36,360 Okay, well, let me ask you. What are you in here for? 86 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:40,080 [in Spanish] Me? Homicide, aggravated robbery, selling drugs. 87 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:44,520 I'm in jail for homicide and kidnapping. I got 21 years. 88 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,080 And what about you, Mr. Lollipop? 89 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:50,080 [in Spanish] I'm here for murder with 18 years. 90 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,400 What advice would you give to me? 91 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:56,120 [in Spanish] The advice I can give you is to get along with people. 92 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:59,000 To not have any problems, and make friends, 93 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:03,880 and learn that what you see, you didn't see, 94 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:05,680 and not to touch what is around. 95 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:10,240 Do you get it? To respect every inmate equally 96 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:11,880 and not to look down on anyone. 97 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:15,760 This is the advice I can give you to survive for longer. 98 00:06:15,840 --> 00:06:18,600 Otherwise, they kill you. Do you understand? 99 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:21,640 [Rowe] You only have to look at these guys and their conditions. 100 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:26,400 I mean, this is doing some serious time. There's no electricity in here. 101 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:30,920 The walls are burnt. Every corner of this cell is burnt, 102 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,200 probably where they are trying to get light. 103 00:06:34,840 --> 00:06:36,440 And they've given me a word of warning. 104 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:40,640 You see no evil, you speak no evil, and you hear no evil. 105 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,920 And if you abide by that code, you'll survive. 106 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:50,200 [Rowe] This sprawling penitentiary has different units 107 00:06:50,280 --> 00:06:54,320 housing low-, medium- or high-risk prisoners. 108 00:06:55,240 --> 00:07:00,000 After quarantine, I'm assigned to the medium security B-block. 109 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:05,160 En route, I get a sense of just how volatile this prison can be. 110 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:08,160 [indistinct yelling] 111 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:11,760 The officers left and they grabbed hold of their batons. 112 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:13,640 So, obviously, they're trying to control something. 113 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:16,480 And that's a stark reminder that I'm in a very dangerous place, 114 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,200 and something could happen at any second. 115 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:22,040 What happened? What were you going to deal with? 116 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:26,800 [in Spanish] It was a fist fight, but there was no use of sharp weapons. 117 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:28,440 For me? 118 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:32,800 [Rowe] As I'm handed a mattress, I'm nervous about what lies ahead. 119 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:38,440 My heart's racing as I'm marched into the belly of the beast. 120 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:39,840 [prisoner 1] Gringo. 121 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:41,720 Gringo. 122 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:42,800 [prisoner 2] Gringo. 123 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:46,760 [indistinct chatter] 124 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:47,880 This way? 125 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:49,400 [prisoner 3] Barco! 126 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:51,960 [prisoner 4] Barco! 127 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:53,000 [prisoner 5] Barco! 128 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:56,400 [Rowe] The inmates shout "barco" which means "boat," 129 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:58,880 prison slang for a new arrival. 130 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:00,560 [shouting and whistling] 131 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:05,040 I'm thinking, "God, if I was on my own coming to an environment like this, 132 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:06,800 how do I survive?" 133 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:13,480 This welcome is designed to intimidate new inmates. 134 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:16,920 -Barco! Barco! -[indistinct shouting] 135 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:23,080 [Rowe] Beyond this fence, I'll be at the mercy 136 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:25,920 of the prison boss who controls this unit. 137 00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:36,360 [clamoring] 138 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:55,000 [Rowe] It's critical I don't make myself vulnerable by showing any fear. 139 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,720 [in Spanish] He is the one who rules here. 140 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:03,240 My name is Raphael. 141 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:06,440 [in Spanish] Raphael? Pleased to meet you. Where are you from? 142 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:07,920 I come from London. 143 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:09,640 [speaking Spanish] 144 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:17,400 [Rowe in English] Luis controls where I'll sleep: on a bunk or on the floor. 145 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,080 [in Spanish] Most of us here are friends. 146 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:23,920 We all come from different countries. Nicaragua... 147 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,480 There are people from Panama, Colombia. 148 00:09:27,560 --> 00:09:30,840 [Michael] There are murderers, rapists. You'll find all kinds here, thieves... 149 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:35,680 Thieves, burglars, everything. Psychos... 150 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:38,720 [Luis] You got to choose your path. If you get in trouble... 151 00:09:39,680 --> 00:09:42,360 If you want trouble, you'll find trouble. 152 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:46,120 [Rowe] It's a clear warning not to challenge Luis' authority. 153 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:49,840 On the outside, I'm told, he was a feared gang leader. 154 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:54,560 Inside, he clearly commands the respect of these dangerous inmates. 155 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:59,640 He orders his lieutenant, Michael, to show me around. 156 00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:07,440 First up, I'm given a bed, which I'm told I have to pay for. 157 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,120 -This is going to be your bed. -[Rowe] Okay. 158 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:11,200 Here. 159 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:14,480 Down here, this was going to be yours. 160 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:17,880 So, I'm getting a sense that this is a privilege 161 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:19,760 for me to be up here, rather than under there. 162 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:24,000 So, how many people sleep in this dormitory? 163 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:26,000 How many guys in here alone? 164 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:28,320 Twenty-eight only here. 165 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:30,080 -[Rowe] Twenty-eight. -[in English] Twenty-eight. 166 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:31,200 Okay. 167 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:33,600 Uh, no air conditioning? 168 00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:34,680 [in Spanish] Nothing. 169 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:36,360 [Rowe] No fans? 170 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:37,640 Nothing. 171 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:40,280 You've got to be tough. We live like that here. 172 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:43,560 We are from the ghetto. Strong, brave, suffering. 173 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:45,120 So, what's your position here, then? 174 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,160 Because everybody seems to be paying attention 175 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:49,600 to the fact I'm here talking to you. 176 00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:52,080 Here, my job is the telephone guy. 177 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:55,800 Many people are waiting in line to make calls. 178 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:58,240 So, I can buy that space in the line? 179 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:01,240 That's what I do? I buy that space to make a phone call? 180 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:04,480 Yes, you are being privileged. 181 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:10,360 [Rowe] Next stop on my tour: the cell's en suite bathroom. 182 00:11:12,560 --> 00:11:14,040 Oh, my fucking God. 183 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:18,080 [imitates water splashing] 184 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:21,280 Oh, your shower. That's the shower. 185 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:24,160 You pour water. You bathe. You dry. 186 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:25,960 Here, you shit. 187 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:27,040 All right, okay. 188 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:29,920 And here's water to put into it. There's no tank to flush. 189 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:36,040 [Rowe] With only an hour left before lockdown at 5:00 p.m., 190 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:39,520 Michael and I grab some fresh air. 191 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:44,320 What would my routine be tomorrow morning? 192 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:48,200 First, if you have cash, you can pay someone 193 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,000 to pick up your breakfast and lunch. It's a perk. 194 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:54,640 But if you don't have money, you have to wake up at 7:00 in the morning 195 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,240 to get in line for your own coffee, bread. 196 00:11:57,320 --> 00:11:59,920 Here, you line up for many things. 197 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:05,640 Looks like... a lot of guys here are not doing very much at the moment. 198 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:08,800 Just hanging around, killing time. 199 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:11,920 Is there a lot of fights? 200 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:13,560 [Michael] Anyone who wants problems. 201 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:19,560 Even for a bread roll, a cigarette butt, or because you did not lend him a pen... 202 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:22,400 because you did not tell them the time. 203 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:24,200 They will fight for everything. 204 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:27,640 It's stressful. 205 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:30,200 [Rowe] With over 100 dangerous inmates 206 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:33,840 confined to this small patio and four cramped dorms, 207 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:37,840 it's no wonder life here often descends into violence. 208 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:44,040 Michael is eight years into a 35-year sentence for two murders. 209 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:47,560 How do you survive in here, man? I mean, this place is... 210 00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:53,760 This place is crazy. I mean, there's... overcrowding. 211 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:55,680 It's hot. It's... I mean... 212 00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:59,440 You get used to the routine. 213 00:12:59,920 --> 00:13:01,280 Your mind adapts to it. 214 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:05,080 If you don't adapt, you go crazy, and they send you to maximum security. 215 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:08,640 [Rowe] It's the end of my first day in La Reforma. 216 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:13,840 And honestly, this is one of the most intimidating prisons I've ever been in. 217 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:16,520 The threat of violence hangs in the air here. 218 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:20,760 If I'm gonna get through this, I'll need to keep my wits about me. 219 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:25,000 Every day you wake up, you've got to protect your mind. 220 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:27,440 You've got to protect your physical body 221 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:32,400 from confrontation, from intimidation, from manipulation. 222 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:35,720 And it worries me, that every day I'm here, 223 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:38,680 I'm going to witness something I don't want to witness. 224 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:53,480 [Rowe] It's the start of my second day in La Reforma. 225 00:13:53,560 --> 00:13:55,360 And behind bars on B-block, 226 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:58,640 it's the inmates who are firmly in control. 227 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:02,440 To survive this hellhole, 228 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:05,160 I need to earn the respect of my cellmates, 229 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:07,160 and that means mucking in. 230 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:13,880 Boss Luis hands out tasks around the dormitory. 231 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:18,280 And I'm told he has a special job for new inmates. 232 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:23,640 [in Spanish] How's it going, dude? 233 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:26,480 What does he want? Does this man want to work? 234 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:29,840 It's your call. I brought him, so he can get to the front of the line. 235 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:31,880 What you have to do is simple. 236 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:34,280 You want me to clean this out, and put it in this bucket? 237 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:35,200 -[Luis in English] Yes. -Okay. 238 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:40,560 [Rowe] As the newest arrival, all eyes are watching to see how I react. 239 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:44,160 So, do I get paid for doing this job? 240 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:45,760 Yes, yes. 241 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:46,880 What's my pay? 242 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:49,040 [in Spanish] In the food line, you'll have the benefit to get your food 243 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:51,280 without having to make the full line. 244 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:56,360 There are a lot of us. Lots of people line up, so you go ahead. 245 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:58,280 That's the benefit of the work. 246 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,240 [Rowe] But it smells bad. Fucking hell. 247 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:05,760 Where does this come from, this rubbish? 248 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:07,720 [Luis] From the rooms. 249 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:12,120 I've got a fucking cockroach in my hand and its baby, 250 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:15,200 and these guys think it's quite amusing. 251 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:19,760 I mean, it takes... a force beyond nature to kill cockroaches. 252 00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:24,360 It stinks. It's a horrible thing to do. 253 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:25,840 But wouldn't you do it willingly 254 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:29,240 if it would get you one notch up the ladder 255 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:34,080 as a new prisoner in this volatile and dangerous place? 256 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:37,000 So, I'm mixing it up already to show that I'm willing 257 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:42,360 and that earns me a benefit, but, more importantly, friends. 258 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:47,200 Luis has ordered one of my cellmates to line up and bring me food 259 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:50,200 as payment for doing this disgusting job. 260 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:51,480 It better be worth it. 261 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:53,360 [Rowe] That's what I was just getting out of there, right? 262 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:54,800 That's my food? 263 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:57,960 [Rowe] Suddenly, I'm not so hungry. 264 00:15:58,040 --> 00:15:59,880 Is that what I've done that for? That shit? [chuckles] 265 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:03,520 I might as well have just eaten that, right? 266 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:09,520 [Rowe] The vast majority of inmates will spend all day, every day, 267 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:11,960 in and around this small courtyard. 268 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:17,760 With limited facilities, it's up to them how they occupy their time. 269 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:24,880 My cellmate, Michael, has invited me to join him in the gym, 270 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:27,680 and it looks like I'm in for another test. 271 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:31,320 There's no state-provided gymnasium equipment here. 272 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:37,600 So, these guys have ingeniously invented their own weights room. 273 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:40,080 -Michael. How you doing? -[Michael in English] Hey, Raphael. 274 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:42,160 -[Michael] Good morning. I'm fine. -[Rowe] You good? 275 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:45,400 [Rowe] Working out in the gym is what kept me sane 276 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:47,880 during my 12 years in prison. 277 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:51,240 Okay, this one. 278 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:00,200 [Rowe] Michael puts me through my paces. 279 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:02,240 [Michael in Spanish] The big one! The big one! 280 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:04,240 I don't know if I'll come out of here alive. [chuckles] 281 00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:06,280 I mean, they have no mercy. 282 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:08,640 [prisoner in Spanish] Come on! Harder! 283 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:10,160 [exhaling] 284 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:16,319 [prisoner] Harder! Harder! 285 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:17,960 -[Rowe] Done. -[Michael in English] Done, done. 286 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:20,480 [chuckles] 287 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:24,480 Oh, man. I passed? 288 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:26,839 -Yes. [speaking Spanish] -[Rowe] Okay. 289 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:30,280 So, why do you come in here and build your muscles? 290 00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:33,280 To keep yourself strong? To give you status? 291 00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:34,400 [in Spanish] To let off steam. 292 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:39,640 To release all the anger, all the bad thoughts you have inside. 293 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:42,600 You flush them all out with the exercise. It all goes away. 294 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:45,080 [Rowe] You don't need to be big and powerful 295 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:46,720 to be dangerous and ruthless. 296 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:50,680 But this might give one or two of you an advantage. 297 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:56,600 [Rowe] There's a lurking brutality and sense of hopelessness 298 00:17:56,680 --> 00:17:58,480 that hangs over life here. 299 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:01,680 I want to find out more about Michael, 300 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:05,960 who still has more than 25 years to serve behind bars. 301 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:09,240 When did you first come to prison, and what was that for? 302 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:10,840 [in Spanish] When I was 13. 303 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:13,040 For murder. 304 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,600 They were from a gang. 305 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:21,280 I killed one. Then, another kills another, and another, another... 306 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:23,560 And that's how it goes. 307 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:29,520 The family... Hey, they killed a cousin of mine, and I killed their uncle. 308 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:32,080 They shot me. 309 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:35,160 How many times have you been shot? 310 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:36,160 Eight. 311 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:39,880 Hold on a minute. You've still got a bullet in your calf? 312 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:41,360 -Two. -Two bullets? 313 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:42,520 Bullet, bullet. 314 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:43,600 What are they, souvenirs? 315 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:44,760 [both chuckle] 316 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:47,920 What was your life like before you got involved in gangs? 317 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:50,080 Or has it always been like that for you? 318 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:52,080 My stepfather smoked crack, 319 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:54,120 and he beat the living shit out of me. Excuse me. 320 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:57,760 [exclaims] He hit me every day with a leather belt. 321 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:00,800 He was taking drugs, and beat me hard. 322 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:04,920 Every day. I did not have a childhood. 323 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:10,480 That vicious circle of gangs, drugs, murder, and prison, 324 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:13,400 how can you escape that if that's all you've ever known? 325 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:16,320 You may try to get out of it, but there is a lot around. 326 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:18,240 There is so much evil in the world. 327 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:20,240 Has prison changed you? 328 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:25,160 It turns some people into monsters on the inside, 329 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:26,760 even the ones that haven't done anything. 330 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:32,440 There are others that it really changes. 331 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:36,640 [Rowe] There was something he said to me that was really striking, 332 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:39,040 and it was that this is a place 333 00:19:39,120 --> 00:19:42,160 where people who come in here, who are not real criminals, 334 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:44,720 go out of here serious criminals. 335 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:48,840 No rehabilitation, no preparation for resocialization. 336 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:51,640 Just a school of crime. 337 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,400 [Rowe] It's a new day in La Reforma. 338 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:13,960 Whilst most inmates spend their time 339 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:16,960 confined in the claustrophobic living units, 340 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:20,120 a few are lucky enough to have a real job. 341 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:24,760 And today, I'm relieved to escape the cell courtyard 342 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:26,880 and help out in B-block's kitchen. 343 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:34,000 Here, 30 inmates help prepare three meals a day for over 600 prisoners. 344 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:36,760 -[Rowe] You're Glen, right? -Yeah. 345 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:38,160 How are you doing, Glen? I'm Raphael. 346 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:39,280 -Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you. 347 00:20:39,360 --> 00:20:43,040 [Rowe] I'm helping former US Marine Glen Davis 348 00:20:43,120 --> 00:20:47,680 deliver a papaya snack to each of the six separate living units. 349 00:20:48,360 --> 00:20:50,720 -Come. -[Rowe] All right. Okay. 350 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:01,720 They wait for the big pieces first, right? 351 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:07,040 50-year-old Glen has spent most of the last 32 years in prison. 352 00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:10,880 At the time, his crime shocked Costa Rica. 353 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:13,400 It was a kidnap. It was Americans. 354 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:15,720 -You kidnapped Americans? -[Glen] Yes. 355 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:18,760 They were kidnapped. I was gonna let them go, and... 356 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:21,000 And he started talking, and... 357 00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:24,440 One shit leads to the other, and I killed him. 358 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:25,680 You killed one of the Americans? 359 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:26,760 I killed both of them. 360 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:27,880 -You killed both of them? -[Glen] Yes. 361 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:32,120 Psychiatrists have said, from when I was a kid, I am a sociopath. 362 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:38,360 [Rowe] Because Glen's job allows him to move between units, 363 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:41,680 there's no shortage of inmates asking for favors. 364 00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:48,760 Every day, when I go to this place, you hear, "Glen, Goofy, pass this joint." 365 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:50,320 I have to pass the joint from there to there. 366 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:51,640 You mean a puff joint? 367 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:53,400 -A joint, marijuana. -Yeah. 368 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:56,080 Is it a privilege or is it a risk? Because if the guards-- 369 00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:57,320 [Glen] It's both. 370 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:00,800 -It's like a blade with two edges. -Yes, two edges. 371 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:04,480 Because if I say no to my people... 372 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:08,160 I live here. I am not gonna be popular. 373 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:09,600 I do whatever they want. 374 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:13,960 If they give me a dead person, chopped, cut real nice in a bag, 375 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:15,760 I'll carry it and throw it away for them. 376 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:19,760 Doesn't your little errands that you do for some of these guys pay? 377 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:22,760 They pay drugs, and I smoke pot. 378 00:22:24,360 --> 00:22:26,160 Are drugs quite prevalent in here? 379 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:28,720 I get you anything you want. [laughs] 380 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:31,400 Really. Whatever you want. 381 00:22:32,360 --> 00:22:37,080 You said to me that you do a lot to survive. 382 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:38,520 -What are your limits? -Okay. 383 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:39,440 [Rowe] What wouldn't you do? 384 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:43,360 If you ask me to pass you on a blade, a knife, I will not, 385 00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:47,440 'cause today, you and I are friends. Tomorrow, I don't know. 386 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,400 And that knife that I brought you could be good for me. 387 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:57,160 [Rowe] These guys, they just ooze this violence, 388 00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:02,840 and I've seen that look in many men's eyes in prison, myself. 389 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:08,600 He said everything about this place is kill or be killed, 390 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:12,400 survive or be crushed. 391 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:18,440 [Rowe] The key to doing time in this place seems to be: 392 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:21,120 keep your head down, do what's asked of you, 393 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:23,160 and don't stand out from the crowd. 394 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:26,800 But there's a small group of prisoners 395 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:30,040 who are potentially more vulnerable than others. 396 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:31,840 And I'm keen to find out 397 00:23:31,920 --> 00:23:36,000 how they survive in this hostile, macho environment. 398 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:40,600 -Hi. -[Jason] Hi. 399 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:42,600 -Your name is? -Jason. 400 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:43,560 -Jason. -Samantha. 401 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:44,520 -Samantha? -Samantha. 402 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:46,680 -Jason Samantha or Samantha? -Samantha. 403 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:47,920 -And yours? -Elian. 404 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,400 Elian. Nice to meet you. Raphael. 405 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:53,120 I understand that you guys are in a relationship, right? 406 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:58,320 [in Spanish] Yes, we are a couple. We've been together for ten months. 407 00:23:58,400 --> 00:23:59,960 We are together in the prison. 408 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:04,960 The truth is, it's an experience you don't see often, 409 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:10,280 because we suffer from discrimination, contempt, 410 00:24:10,360 --> 00:24:12,880 since people do not like it. 411 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:17,320 They look down on people like us. 412 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:20,640 [Rowe] Elian is doing time for robbery, 413 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:25,400 and Samantha is serving 11 years for smuggling drugs into prison. 414 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:32,680 Have you experienced threats, or people attacked you, 415 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,480 or tried to attack you because you're Samantha? 416 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:38,560 A prisoner came from down over there with a big piece of steel. 417 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:41,040 He wanted to kill me because he hates gays. 418 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:46,280 So, I looked at him and told him, "Come on, let's fight." 419 00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:49,120 I said, "I'm not afraid of anybody." 420 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:54,440 So, the guy shut up and left me alone, but he wanted to kill me. 421 00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:58,000 If I'd not said anything, he would have killed me. 422 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:02,600 How do you protect each other from the threats of violence 423 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:06,280 from those who don't like that you are in a relationship? 424 00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:08,080 [in Spanish] Well, I mostly take care of her. 425 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:12,080 Not so much her of me, because I always need to protect her 426 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:14,040 from people that want to hurt her. 427 00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:18,120 Wouldn't it just be easier to hide your relationship, 428 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:21,440 and sort of have a secret relationship, 429 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:25,760 rather than face the threat of violence from these guys every day? 430 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:29,040 I am like this, and why should I hide it? 431 00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:30,240 I like it. 432 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:33,400 And if it makes someone else uncomfortable, 433 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:34,760 then it's not my problem. 434 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:41,040 How do you get intimate with each other, with so many eyes around all the time? 435 00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:45,120 We sleep together in the same room, in the same bed. 436 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:50,920 The person above us, sleeping above us, sometimes gets bothered by it. 437 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:53,000 Sure, he doesn't like it, 438 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,480 but what can we do if we are deprived of liberty? 439 00:26:00,120 --> 00:26:03,240 [Rowe] The couple are keen to show me where they sleep. 440 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:06,240 The love palace. Let's see this space. 441 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:11,360 They even have a little cat. 442 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:14,720 So, this single space for the two of you? 443 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:18,840 Yes, for us two together. He sleeps there, and I sleep here. 444 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:22,440 -So, you fasten it here firmly. -[Rowe] Right. 445 00:26:24,360 --> 00:26:26,320 That gives you your level of privacy. 446 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:27,240 That's how it's more private. 447 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:28,160 [Rowe] And then this one... 448 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:33,560 I admire your bravery in the face of the hostility 449 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:35,600 you face from other prisoners. 450 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:38,280 It's a struggle that we overcome every day like this. 451 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:41,200 But it doesn't matter. We're strong. 452 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:43,880 [Rowe] What's the matter, Elian? 453 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:45,480 [Samantha speaking indistinctly] 454 00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:49,560 He is very sentimental. Yes, he cries a lot. 455 00:26:50,120 --> 00:26:53,080 So, there you go. The thing is you cry because you're sentimental. 456 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:55,320 And, well, the important thing is to keep going, 457 00:26:55,400 --> 00:27:01,160 and that God always gives you strength to see things differently. 458 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:08,200 Elian and Samantha met ten months ago 459 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:14,720 in one of the most violent, decrepit places I've ever been in. 460 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:16,120 They talk about being bullied. 461 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:20,600 They talk about people threatening them with dangerous weapons. 462 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:24,280 But despite that, they stand up for who they are. 463 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:26,960 [Rowe] They talk about being in love, 464 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:30,840 and their relationship seems to give 'em the strength to survive. 465 00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:43,160 After experiencing life as an inmate, 466 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:45,960 today, I'm joining guard Victor and his team 467 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:49,880 to find out how they manage this violent prison population. 468 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:54,240 What do you look for when you carry out cell searches? 469 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:58,920 [in Spanish] What we are looking for is drugs, sharp weapons, 470 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:03,360 cell phones, SIM cards to be used with the phones. 471 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:05,880 Also, the so-called chicha, 472 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:11,000 a home brew that they drink. 473 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:14,760 [Rowe] The officers carry out cell searches on a daily basis, 474 00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:17,640 often acting on tip-offs from other prisoners. 475 00:28:18,120 --> 00:28:21,480 But inmates never make it easy for the guards. 476 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:24,280 [in Spanish] What is all the fuss about? 477 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:25,760 Turn around. 478 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:28,240 If you want you can hit me, but I'm a senior citizen. 479 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:31,520 I am here. I am here. 480 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:35,320 But calm down. We are only asking you to turn around to make an inspection. 481 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:36,280 As simple as that. 482 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:40,240 You gonna bum me against the wall? 483 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:45,520 Shall I lower my pants? 484 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:49,000 [Rowe] This time, the search revealed no contraband. 485 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:53,480 But it's a constant battle for the guards to control these dangerous prisoners. 486 00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:05,800 Inmates caught being violent or with deadly weapons 487 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:08,800 are moved to the most secure section of the prison. 488 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:15,840 I'm now being taken into La Reforma's maximum security prison within a prison. 489 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:21,880 It holds some of Costa Rica's most ruthless organized criminals. 490 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:24,560 They're so dangerous, the guards are cautious 491 00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:27,080 about taking me into this complex. 492 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:29,480 The man responsible for managing 493 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:32,720 La Reforma's most volatile and violent inmates 494 00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:35,040 is head guard Juan Luis. 495 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:38,880 Good morning. Nice to meet you. 496 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:41,080 Can I have a look around? Can you show me around? 497 00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:42,840 [in Spanish] Yes, sure. No problem about that, 498 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:46,320 only that you must also wear the vest for your own protection. 499 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:51,440 I've never been in a prison 500 00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:55,040 where it's been necessary, in the cellblock, 501 00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:57,400 to put on something like a stab vest. 502 00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:01,120 I mean, that is an indication of how dangerous this place is, 503 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:04,480 and the sorts of criminals that these guys are dealing with. 504 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:18,000 Each cell in this section holds two to four prisoners 505 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,560 and has a small outdoor area. 506 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:24,560 I've never seen anything like this before. 507 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:31,560 We are walking along this kind of caged landing 508 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:34,680 where the guards can see down into the cells, 509 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:36,640 where the prisoners are being kept. 510 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:40,840 [Rowe] It feels a bit like being at the zoo. 511 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:45,360 What's it like working here for you and for your fellow officers? 512 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:46,840 It's very stressful. 513 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:51,080 It's stressful because we are here locked in living with them. 514 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:53,120 You have to keep calm, 515 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:57,640 because we have situations where we have to be patient with them. 516 00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:03,400 They insult us. Sometimes, they throw shit at us. 517 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:06,680 [Rowe] Despite the intense security in this block, 518 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:10,560 in 2011, prisoners attempted a mass breakout. 519 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:16,640 They took control of the situation by taking hostages, 520 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:19,480 with firearms and sharp weapons. 521 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:23,680 One of our guards lost his life in the incident. 522 00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:28,120 Are any of the prisoners involved in that escape still here? 523 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:30,960 And would it be possible for me to meet that prisoner? 524 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:32,120 In a cell, it's not convenient. 525 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,280 We would have to take him to a location 526 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:37,760 where you can speak to him without having a great deal of danger. 527 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:42,320 [Rowe] As we're talking, trouble kicks off in the cells below. 528 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:44,080 [Rowe] From down there, it looks like this guy is... 529 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:48,000 Is that normal, that he's burning a newspaper? 530 00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:50,360 [Juan Luis] They make fire to get attention, 531 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:52,360 so that the guards go in. 532 00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:57,520 The guard did paint a very grim picture of their existence here. 533 00:31:57,600 --> 00:31:59,640 He said every day they come into this job, 534 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:01,680 it's stressful. 535 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:06,440 They're constantly abused and spat at by the prisoners. 536 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:10,440 The guards have agreed to let me talk to one of the inmates 537 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:13,280 who was involved in the attempted escape. 538 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:15,280 -[Rowe in Spanish] Hello. -[in Spanish] Hello. 539 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:16,200 [in English] How are you doing? 540 00:32:16,280 --> 00:32:17,400 How you doing? All good? 541 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:19,000 -Nice to meet you. -Yes. 542 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:21,200 [in Spanish] My name is Raphael. 543 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:23,680 -Raphael. Juan Carlos. -Juan Carlos. 544 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:26,080 [in English] How did you end up in maximum security? 545 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:27,960 How did you end up in here? 546 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:29,720 Lots of fighting. 547 00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:31,400 Life inside here is tough. 548 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:36,440 One must pass time, so time goes by faster. 549 00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:40,200 What was you sent to prison for in the first place? 550 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:42,280 Well, for murder... 551 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:46,840 and robbery. 552 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:50,040 -And how long is your sentence? -[in English] Fifty years. 553 00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:53,120 Fifty? And how long have you served? 554 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:54,520 Twenty years. 555 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:57,800 I hear that you were involved in an attempted escape. 556 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:00,440 This place, Juan Carlos, is so secure. 557 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:03,800 How did you get out of here, in the first place? 558 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:08,160 [in Spanish] Two, three people from the system helped. 559 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:14,120 [Rowe] Corrupt guards smuggled in guns, and inmates took prison officers hostage, 560 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:16,360 using them as a human shield. 561 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:18,680 How far did you get? 562 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:20,800 Where the entrance is, over there... 563 00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:26,560 around 300, 400 meters there outside. 564 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:29,600 [Rowe] A shoot-out between the inmates and the police 565 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:32,360 left a guard and two prisoners dead. 566 00:33:32,440 --> 00:33:36,560 Did you believe that you could actually get out of here and get away? 567 00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:38,200 We thought we could... 568 00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:43,680 with the hostages and everything, but it was tough. 569 00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:46,720 It was tough. It was a stupid thing to do. 570 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:52,280 [Rowe] He says he's trying to become a different person 571 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:53,200 because he's had enough. 572 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:55,160 But it wasn't that long ago, 573 00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:59,880 he was deemed to be so dangerous, so violent, 574 00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:04,760 that he has been locked up in this cage, in this animal pen. 575 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:06,640 This zoo, if you like. 576 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:11,080 [Rowe] The attempted breakout in 2011 was a tipping point 577 00:34:11,159 --> 00:34:14,880 that led to a reevaluation of Costa Rica's prison system. 578 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:19,719 The conditions in maximum security are tough. 579 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:22,760 Unbelievably, I'm told it used to be worse. 580 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:29,840 Until last year, 581 00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:34,000 the prison's solitary confinement cells were notorious hellholes. 582 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:39,159 I'm meeting up with Alex, a fellow prisoner from B-block, 583 00:34:39,239 --> 00:34:41,199 who spent three years locked up here. 584 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:44,920 [in Spanish] In part, it was violent because we were very violent. 585 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:46,480 We were asking for it, 586 00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:48,960 and that was the only way the police could have control. 587 00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:50,840 No guard liked working here. 588 00:34:52,159 --> 00:34:55,120 [Rowe] Alex has served 40 sentences, 589 00:34:55,199 --> 00:34:58,880 the first for attempted murder, at the age of nine. 590 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:05,280 That was my cell. The bed was here. 591 00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:08,600 [Rowe] Area F, nicknamed the Tombs, 592 00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:12,040 was forced to close because of inhumane conditions. 593 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:17,400 Here, shocking brutality was committed by both inmates and guards. 594 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:21,360 What is the worst thing that happened to you in Las Tumbas? 595 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:23,600 There was a lot of hostility. 596 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:30,200 I have seen many inmates with cuts, any number of them stabbed. 597 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:37,120 There have also been many killed, shot in that patio. 598 00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:40,480 You had mentioned also that the brutality 599 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:45,360 led to people like yourself cutting yourself. 600 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:48,680 I was cutting myself at least three times a week. 601 00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:54,360 And I remember that... in terms of food. 602 00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:59,400 I couldn't... I did not have strength in my arms. I was so weak. 603 00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:02,440 As best as I could, I would put it on the floor and eat like a dog. 604 00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:05,760 What's the worst that you did to yourself? 605 00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:07,120 I also took a shaving knife. 606 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:12,840 I would hold myself here like this, cut myself, and it would open up. 607 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:15,200 The same here. 608 00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:22,920 I had a hole in which I was putting a toothbrush. 609 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:26,520 What was it that made you do such horrible things to yourself? 610 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:29,160 Well, the cell was overwhelming me... 611 00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:35,720 Being locked up, the atmosphere we lived in... 612 00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:38,760 Not only did I consider guards my enemy, 613 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:41,680 but also inmates next to me and the ones next to them. 614 00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:45,520 It was one of the most harmful coexistences here 615 00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:48,160 that I have ever experienced. 616 00:36:48,240 --> 00:36:49,960 So, that made me believe that I was not worth anything. 617 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:53,240 So, I'm going to do this to myself to go to the hospital, get out for a bit. 618 00:36:55,800 --> 00:37:01,680 The pain, and scars, and damage he inflicted on himself is frightening. 619 00:37:02,240 --> 00:37:05,640 I spent 12 years in a single cell, so I know how tough it is 620 00:37:05,720 --> 00:37:09,480 to keep yourself sane banged up, behind the door, on your own. 621 00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:13,360 He is tormented by the things he witnessed 622 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:16,160 and the things he personally experienced. 623 00:37:16,240 --> 00:37:20,120 It's just horrible. These places mess up your mind. 624 00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:23,760 And there is no question, in my mind, that Alexander and men like him 625 00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:26,200 have been messed up by this confinement. 626 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:39,080 The closure of Las Tumbas was the start of an overhaul 627 00:37:39,160 --> 00:37:41,920 of the way Costa Rica treats its prisoners. 628 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:44,520 Despite public opposition, 629 00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:49,040 they opened a controversial and radically different new facility. 630 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:53,720 It's my last day inside La Reforma prison complex, 631 00:37:53,800 --> 00:37:58,080 and I have been transferred here to this new, modern part of the prison, 632 00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:01,480 and it's where they aim to rehabilitate offenders. 633 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:05,400 Compared to the squalor I experienced on B-block, 634 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:07,520 I'm amazed at what I'm seeing. 635 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:11,800 This is very different from the other part of the prison. 636 00:38:11,880 --> 00:38:14,400 [in Spanish] This is a place of low security. 637 00:38:14,480 --> 00:38:18,440 So, what sort of prisoners do you have in this part of the prison? 638 00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:19,600 It varies. 639 00:38:20,240 --> 00:38:23,880 They need to meet the requirements of the program. 640 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:27,680 [Rowe] An inmate has been assigned to help me acclimatize 641 00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:29,000 to my new surroundings. 642 00:38:30,320 --> 00:38:32,640 My name is Jani. Pleasure to meet you. What is your name? 643 00:38:32,720 --> 00:38:34,120 -Raphael. -Nice to meet you, Raphael. 644 00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:36,720 So, I've just come from over there to here. 645 00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:38,200 -Was you over there? -[Jani] Yeah. 646 00:38:38,280 --> 00:38:39,320 I've been there a lot. 647 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:41,680 You're pretty much making a transition from hell to Disneyland. 648 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:42,920 You call this Disneyland? 649 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:44,840 Yeah, I don't know if I should call it Disneyland, 650 00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:48,240 but we have no stabbings here. We have no drugs here. 651 00:38:48,320 --> 00:38:52,000 -We have no illicit businesses, right? -Right, okay. 652 00:38:52,080 --> 00:38:54,160 Everything is calm. You want a tour? 653 00:38:54,240 --> 00:38:56,680 -Yeah, give me a tour. -All right, let me take you on a tour. 654 00:38:57,240 --> 00:39:02,040 [Rowe] American expat Jani is doing time for robbing drug dealers. 655 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:07,000 Do you have the freedom to walk where you want, when you want? 656 00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:09,760 We can go out, and we can walk around every day, all day. 657 00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:11,160 We can pretty much do whatever we want. 658 00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:13,760 We get locked down at 8:00 at night. Like I said, this place is Disneyland. 659 00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:19,920 [Rowe] Built to house over 700 inmates, this brand new section of the prison 660 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:24,520 has an education unit, workshops, a multipurpose gym, 661 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:28,280 a soccer field, a laundry, and kitchens. 662 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:34,960 Despite all these facilities, I am told this unit is not yet full. 663 00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:39,280 So, all that overcrowding in hell, and the guys don't want to come here? 664 00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:40,600 Yeah, they don't want to come here. 665 00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:44,120 There's a lot of things here that you can't do, that you can do there. 666 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:45,680 People make money in prison. 667 00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:48,320 The typical Costa Rican, you send him to prison, 668 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:50,280 and he sees that as an opportunity to make money. 669 00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:54,920 A nobody outside, he gets drugs for cheap, and he puts him in prison, 670 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:56,480 and he's got a whole bunch of addicts around him 671 00:39:56,560 --> 00:39:59,040 that are his best friends. And now he's somebody. 672 00:39:59,520 --> 00:40:03,680 [Rowe] Prisoners here have to sign a contract, promising to behave. 673 00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:06,880 Have you known of guys being evicted from here? 674 00:40:06,960 --> 00:40:08,160 [Jani] Yes, he's actually a friend of mine. 675 00:40:08,240 --> 00:40:09,680 He had somebody send him drugs. 676 00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:11,520 There's lots of snitches here, too. 677 00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:13,760 So, security finds out about it. 678 00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:15,960 They go and pick him up. The next day, he's gone. 679 00:40:16,040 --> 00:40:17,720 He gets sent back to hell, right? 680 00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:21,440 This is my bedroom. 681 00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:23,000 [Rowe] Eight of you sleep in here? 682 00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:24,280 Yeah, eight of us sleep here. 683 00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:28,480 Everybody has a bed, a box, and a footlocker. 684 00:40:29,040 --> 00:40:31,720 [Rowe] In stark contrast to the rest of La Reforma, 685 00:40:31,800 --> 00:40:36,360 here inmates are offered the opportunity to turn their lives around. 686 00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:38,720 [Jani] Like a drug addict, right? 687 00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:43,000 You can send him to rehab 1,000 times, right? 688 00:40:43,080 --> 00:40:45,840 You could send him to prison 1,000 times. 689 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:49,440 The only way that you change is doing it yourself, all right? 690 00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:52,160 [Rowe] But turning your back on fellow criminals 691 00:40:52,240 --> 00:40:54,400 can have dangerous consequences. 692 00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:57,800 In the kitchen, I'm joining Marco Antonio, 693 00:40:57,880 --> 00:41:01,440 an inmate brave enough to break from his life of crime. 694 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:04,680 What is it that you want me to do? What can I... How can I help? 695 00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:06,280 [in Spanish] We need to peel those sweet potatoes 696 00:41:06,360 --> 00:41:07,840 because we are making them mashed. 697 00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:12,560 So, you must cut off both ends and peel them. 698 00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:16,400 What are you in prison for? 699 00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:22,440 Twenty-three years for murder using an armablanca... with a knife. 700 00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:23,360 [Rowe] Did what? 701 00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:29,440 I'm safe though, right? You're not in the murdering mood, right? 702 00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:31,960 -[in English] No problem. [chuckles] -Okay. [chuckles] 703 00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:33,320 Now, we've established that. 704 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:35,800 The prison must obviously trust you now 705 00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:40,200 to allow you to still openly hold a knife like this. 706 00:41:40,920 --> 00:41:43,480 [in Spanish] Yes, we've won their trust. Thanks to God. 707 00:41:43,560 --> 00:41:44,880 It's not like they just give it to you. 708 00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:49,160 In here, I was given the opportunity to study. I've got many diplomas. 709 00:41:49,720 --> 00:41:51,000 [Rowe] It's so calm here. 710 00:41:51,480 --> 00:41:55,640 It seems the different environment creates different behavior. 711 00:41:55,720 --> 00:42:02,200 What did Marco Antonio have to do inside to get accepted in this program? 712 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:06,200 I wanted it. I wanted... I was tired of suffering, 713 00:42:06,280 --> 00:42:10,960 tired of seeing my mother cry and cry every time she came to visit. 714 00:42:11,040 --> 00:42:15,240 If you hadn't been transferred here a year ago, 715 00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:18,040 where would Marco Antonio be now? 716 00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:20,840 Possibly, I would have another conviction... 717 00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:24,720 or even be dead. 718 00:42:24,800 --> 00:42:26,840 It would have been bad. It would have been bad. 719 00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:30,040 It would have been bad. That's the truth. 720 00:42:30,760 --> 00:42:35,840 Marco Antonio, he said when this place came onto his radar, 721 00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:39,880 he knew it was an opportunity for him to embrace... 722 00:42:41,480 --> 00:42:44,840 a change. And he said himself, if he didn't change 723 00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:49,040 and he were still in that environment, he might be dead. 724 00:42:57,120 --> 00:43:00,680 [Rowe] In stark contrast to where I've spent the last few days, 725 00:43:00,760 --> 00:43:03,240 it seems that prisoners here have hope. 726 00:43:03,720 --> 00:43:06,200 To find out why it's so radically different 727 00:43:06,280 --> 00:43:08,560 from the old part of La Reforma, 728 00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:13,320 I am meeting up with Costa Rica's Justice Minister, Marco Feoli. 729 00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:18,120 I mean, I would describe La Reforma as a hellhole on Earth. 730 00:43:18,200 --> 00:43:22,320 It's overcrowded. It's menacing. It's threatening. 731 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:26,360 It's a scary place for visitors, for prisoners, 732 00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:28,000 and the guards that work there. 733 00:43:28,080 --> 00:43:32,800 [in Spanish] The concept of punishment is embedded in our DNA. 734 00:43:32,880 --> 00:43:38,360 Historically, this has led to the gradual transformation of prisons... 735 00:43:39,840 --> 00:43:42,040 into places that are just holding pens, 736 00:43:42,120 --> 00:43:44,120 and the consequence of this has been overcrowded jails. 737 00:43:44,200 --> 00:43:47,640 It's a mistake, because the results are plain to see. 738 00:43:47,720 --> 00:43:52,840 It's very progressive. Why did you build this place? 739 00:43:54,320 --> 00:43:57,800 I would like to think that, little by little, 740 00:43:57,880 --> 00:44:00,680 we will transform not just the concept of prison itself, 741 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:04,120 but also the idea that people outside can have of what a prison can be. 742 00:44:04,200 --> 00:44:08,520 You might not believe this, but this prison also has many critics, 743 00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:11,360 because there are those that think that the people need to suffer, 744 00:44:11,440 --> 00:44:14,240 and it has to be a kind of vengeance. 745 00:44:14,800 --> 00:44:19,040 This is absurd, because if I'm treated like I was a beast, 746 00:44:19,120 --> 00:44:21,320 then there is no way that I can come out of prison a better person. 747 00:44:22,400 --> 00:44:23,880 [Rowe] He believes in what he's doing. 748 00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:26,320 He thinks prison should be somewhere 749 00:44:26,400 --> 00:44:30,480 where prisoners and criminals are treated humanely and with dignity. 750 00:44:30,560 --> 00:44:35,360 And by doing that, you can bring about a change in that individual. 751 00:44:35,440 --> 00:44:39,440 [Rowe] It remains to be seen how long this radical approach will last. 752 00:44:40,240 --> 00:44:43,280 Public opinion, he said, are not on his side. 753 00:44:44,480 --> 00:44:45,840 People here, in Costa Rica, 754 00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:48,480 believe that criminals should be locked up, 755 00:44:48,560 --> 00:44:50,080 and the key thrown away. 756 00:44:50,560 --> 00:44:56,160 He just hopes that whoever replaces him will continue the progress 757 00:44:56,240 --> 00:45:00,400 that he believes that this country's prison system needs. 758 00:45:01,080 --> 00:45:05,080 [Rowe] It's the end of my week in Costa Rica's La Reforma Prison. 759 00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:11,120 From my time with Michael, in the squalid and overcrowded cells of B-block, 760 00:45:11,920 --> 00:45:16,920 to the new wing, where even the most violent inmates are learning to reform. 761 00:45:17,760 --> 00:45:21,680 I've seen the best and the worst of what prison can be. 762 00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:27,400 It's extraordinary how this prison is trying to change, 763 00:45:27,480 --> 00:45:29,600 but its reforms are under serious threat. 764 00:45:29,680 --> 00:45:30,760 Like anywhere in the world, 765 00:45:30,840 --> 00:45:35,880 spending money on rehabilitating convicted criminals doesn't win you votes. 766 00:45:35,960 --> 00:45:39,800 And if the opposition here continues to grow against the reforms, 767 00:45:39,880 --> 00:45:45,120 then this radical social experiment will come to an abrupt and early end. 768 00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:53,200 [dramatic music playing]