Inside the World's Toughest Prisons

Kylmäkoski Prison, Finland.

Home to many extremely violent prisoners.

My brother got killed. So I shot his killer in the head.

...and took the knife from my pocket. Stabbed the guy with it in the neck.

Behind the cell doors, the prisoners are in charge.

- Do you want some? - No, thank you.

Crazy.

Good. It's coming, it's coming, it's coming. Good.

- Is it straight? - Yep!

When inmates refuse to obey the rules...

Who has the most drugs is the king. I don't know why.

...and show little remorse for their violent crimes...

What did you do to him?

Drove over him with a car.

Shot him with a bow.

...how does the prison begin to reform them?

I'm going to spend the next week locked up here to find out.

But it's not my first time behind bars.

My name is Raphael Rowe.

I was convicted in the UK of a murder I didn't commit

and sentenced to life with no parole.

It took me 12 long years to clear my name.

Now I'm traveling the globe...

- -...to discover what life is really like

inside the world's toughest prisons.

Finland. A country with one of the highest murder rates in Europe.

It's often said that Finland is the happiest country in the world,

but it does have a dark side with a high rate of violent crime,

often committed by men on the fringes of society,

fueled by drink and drugs.

Dealing with these criminals is a huge challenge for the prison system.

I'm heading to Kylmäkoski Prison in Southern Finland,

where I'll be spending the next week.

The Finns have a progressive approach to punishment,

so most prisoners serve community sentences

or are sent to open prisons.

Only the most dangerous, the most serious offenders,

are sent to closed prisons like the one I'm heading to.

And right now, I don't know what to expect.

I'm feeling a little apprehensive. I've got the butterflies in the tummy.

In Finland, a key aim of the prison regime

is the personal growth and development of prisoners

rather than punishment.

But crucially for the prisons, which are trying to reform them,

it's not compulsory for prisoners to engage in rehabilitation.

Can rehabilitation really work for the most dangerous prisoners?

Because if they don't want to change, there's nothing a progressive regime

with its liberal approach to rehabilitation can do.

The individuals have to want to change.

It doesn't matter how many times I do this.

I am a little bit apprehensive

about the men that I'm gonna be locked up with.

We go here.

You can put the jacket on the table.

I will give you a plastic bag where you can put all your clothes.

-Okay. - And we check these.

And then you will get those back.

All right.

You can put it here.

Show your... Yeah. Good.

You can put on the T-shirt.

Yeah, okay. And then downstairs.

To protect the human rights of prisoners,

Finland doesn't allow routine body cavity searches.

So although up to 90% of new inmates have drug problems,

it's a superficial search.

Do you find a lot of contraband during this process?

Yes. Sometimes, yes. Some drugs or...

What kind of drugs do they try to smuggle in?

Mmm... Subutex.

Sometimes somebody tries to smuggle some cell phone

or something like that.

Subutex is used to treat addiction,

but it's an addictive drug in its own right.

Straight to the camera.

Once I'm processed, I'm taken to my wing.

Violent offenders are not segregated from other inmates here.

And I'm being taken to the general population wing 2.1.

-So I'm in here on my own? - Yeah.

What would your advice be to me about the other prisoners out there?

You should not speak about anything too personal.

And use some common sense.

What kinds of criminals am I gonna be living with?

For example, this cell block has various criminals.

Violent offenders, killers,

and a lot of drug-related criminals.

- Okay. Thank you. - Thank you.

With 14 cells for 18 prisoners,

some have to share.

The communal area and kitchen are covered by CCTV cameras,

monitored by guards in a control room at the end of the wing.

But there are no cameras in the cells.

And I'm now alone with the inmates.

First impressions. It's so quiet.

It's eerily quiet.

You know, as prisons go, there's no hum, there's no buzz,

there's no hollering and shouting.

Of course, when you're a newbie,

you're gonna be a bit hesitant about who it is out there.

And they will inevitably

want to size you up from the moment you walk out there,

and I've already walked past a couple of really big guys who,

just their appearance, could be quite intimidating.

Um, but look, let me go and find out

what... what's gonna happen to me in the next seven days.

Hello. I'm gonna introduce myself.

-I'm Raphael. -Toni.

- Toni? Nice to meet you, Toni. -Yes.

-I'm Fuzzy. - Fuzzy?

-I'm Raphael. -Welcome.

- Thank you. Nice to meet you. - Yeah.

-Yeah... - Could I meet the other guys?

-I'm Michael. - Hi. Michael?

-Yes. -Hi, Michael. I'm Raphael.

Okay. Welcome.

- Thank you. -Yeah.

How you doing? I'm Raphael.

-I'm Jani. - Jani. Nice to meet you.

Oh, I have plates and cutlery. Okay.

Yeah. This is what you need when you're starting here.

- Okay. -You get the stuff back...

Jani and the big guy Toni seem pretty friendly,

but they could easily be intimidating to new inmates,

especially back in the cells where the guards can't see.

Do they give everybody these things?

-That's for the... - Yes.

- Yeah. - Okay. Okay.

Tell me about the rules here in the block.

Just be yourself and don't mind other business.

When someone comes here, if we don't know each other, you know,

I ask him why you here, you know.

- What's your crime? What'd you do? - Yeah. Of course.

Why? Why... Why does that matter?

If you're some sexual...

- Sexual offender. - Or something... Pedophile.

- You get knocked the fuck out. - Yeah. Straight.

Is there someone in charge of this wing?

Do I need to know whether anybody deserves more respect than others?

No. Nothing like that.

Mind your own business and be yourself. It's enough.

Yeah.

Let's go, let's go.

Toni, big guy, young but big,

in the vest, lots of tattoos,

and Jani, they welcomed me, but I think

if you were somebody that they would have taken a disliking to straight away,

um, anything could have happened.

You're in the cell on your own. The guards are long gone.

So that is the constant reminder

that at the, you know, flick of somebody's mood,

violence could erupt.

Cells are unlocked here at 7:00 am.

This porridge isn't the worst thing you could have in the morning, eh, Jani?

No, of course.

Some inmates, like Jani, have jobs and activities in the prison,

and they head off early.

But others choose just to stay on the wing.

They're not taking advantage of the projects on offer,

so I want to see if they're using their time constructively.

I said I feel like a skinny kid among you lot.

But they want to see what the new guy's made of in the gym.

-Little warm-up. -

Yeah, enjoy.

Join.

- One. Five times. - No.

-You know the technique, yeah? - Well, I...

-Okay. - Yeah?

Yes, very good. Five times.

- -Okay. Three more.

Two.

Good. One.

Yeah. Last one.

Little up. Good.

And you call that a warm-up?

No, it's... A little warm-up.

Oh, man.

How much weight was on there?

-Now? Seventy. - Seventy?

- Yeah. -And how much can you lift?

-Uh, 220, I think. - Jeez.

Good. It's coming, it's coming, it's coming. Good!

- Is it straight? -Yep!

Well done.

So far , Toni's been very welcoming,

but I wouldn't wanna get on the wrong side of him

or his cellmate, Olli.

- -