Inside the World's Toughest Prisons

The gang fighting will be over only when everyone is eliminated.

Cough. Cough hard.

The level of risk is very high.

Here in Porto Velho, the civil police have identified some gangs,

some individuals with medium and heavy weaponry.

Squad! Attention, squad!

Stop, son of a bitch! Hey!

Stop! Stop, sucker!

Stop, son of a bitch!

He will because Brazilian legislation

does not take into account the amount, only the act.

So when we catch them, even if we find a small amount,

because he is dealing,

the penalty is imprisonment from five to ten years.

I know he will go to the prison. It's very bad, hard.

The conditions are terrible in that place.

I've been there many times already.

You could have something that you could use against me.

Cough. Cough hard.

Get up.

Do you belong to or are you involved with any criminal factions?

If the prisoners know you are from a gang,

you will be treated like someone from that gang.

So if you mix with another faction, your life will be at risk.

Against the wall.

Go over there so we can take your handcuffs off.

Ten days.

Ten days. Just the way you see us, that's how it is here.

Look. Here, look here.

The toilet was blocked. There was sewage all over the floor.

They fired at us. Everyone was on the floor in the shit.

Because we were trying to fill the water bottles,

and there was a shouting match. Understand?

So the guards came over. They were shooting at us.

We stayed there quite some time,

until they changed shifts, and we were allowed to get up.

I spent nine months in Pavilion A. Nine months. A lot of oppression.

Weakness. My family needed me.

I was looking for work and didn't find anything.

The only way to look after my family

was to do the only thing I knew how to do: steal.

Yes. It affects everyone's life.

It affects everyone who finds themselves stuck in this system.

It's a war, because they just don't care.

If there is a clash

and you're in the wrong place at the wrong time,

We usually expect that the prisoners respect other prisoners, right?

Because of this problem with gangs.

There shouldn't be conflicts or any kind of violence.

And that they serve the sentence peacefully.

They are all now having their recreational time, playing football.

They have two hours in the sun every day.

Over here you can get to Pavilion C. You choose a cell.

You can go inside and choose. Speak to Danilo.

He's a cool guy, and he can tell you where you can fit in better,

where you can make some friends and choose a cell that suits you.

-Hey, Danilo. -Danilo!

Danilo!

What's up, Danilo?

My pleasure. Don't be scared. Come inside.

Yeah, make yourself at home, brother.

Keep calm.

You look Brazilian. You do.

You need humility. Say a bit, BB.

Respect for brother's space.

Have respect for brother's space. That is how you will survive.

It all depends on you, right?

If you are a guy that helps out, that asks what needs doing around here,

cleans the cell without laziness. Understand?

With this attitude, you will be fine in any place, in any prison.

He will have to pay.

If he wants to be crazy, he will have to pay.

He will have to pay someone to do his cleaning chores,

but someone is going to have to do it, right?

Your offense, the offense you got done for...

Why did you go to prison? Trafficking? Assault?

Murder.

So about your crime, did you kill him for money?

How did you kill him? For stealing? With a knife?

Did you think of killing yourself because of what happened to you?

He's alive now because he likes living. You suffered a lot, right?

He's a brother. He's a brother.

-He belongs to the family now for sure. -He's part of the family now.

Here is a list of things to clean.

Each will have their day to do the cleaning, the toilet.

You're also responsible for washing dishes.

Finish here. I'll throw water for you. You keep washing.

One more.

Now go here. Get this cloth.

Now you are going to throw water on the floor here.

The bucket over there.

When it's closed, the guy is pissing.

You don't come in.

If it's like this, look.

Yes, and I was even here during the first one

that took place

nine months ago.

Our cell was broken into from the back,

and, thank God, we managed to get out and survive.

But, unfortunately, the people in the cell in front of ours lost their lives.

Eight people died, burned alive.

The people who died asked them not to break the lock,

because they didn't want to be involved in the riot.

Which was the same position we took in our cell.

So today we are praying for peace. We are for peace.

We'll talk to the guys and say, "No, brothers, no more fighting."

Go over there. He can't be here.

At any moment, you could take a weapon from us,

take a colleague hostage, and take over the whole prison.

So we have to be careful who can come in here.

Otherwise, we become too exposed. Understand?

The Red Command cell.

We're here for our own safety, because we can't go over there.

We're just waiting to be transferred.

Red Command, we command.

Something happened to me. Someone tried to kill me.

A knife. With a knife. Take a look. Stabbed my lung. Just this scar.

The Red Command and the PCC are two rival gangs

aiming to take over the state of Rondônia. Understand?

They want to take our city from us,

but we are not going to give it to them. Understand?

These animals are a bunch of cowards, these bastards.

This is a pressure cooker.

At any moment, it's going to explode, and then that's it.

It will be every man for himself. We are going to protect ourselves.

If they break out, we are going to stab them.

They'll go back there, back to hell.

He's passed already.

He's passed the test already.

This way.

Give thirteen, thirteen.

Beef.

Beef, second-rate beef. Chayote, potato and corn. Cooked.

-Terrible. It's always awful. -The worst. It's very bad.

Just like this.

No one who could make me eat it.

Only if your eyes were closed.

The visitors bring it.

Anything with meat there?

Cow's meat. Beef.

Cow's meat, beef. It's normal meat...

You like?

Tasty?