Behind Bars: The World's Toughest Prisons (2016)

Episode Overview

Colony Eight, known as one of Ukraine's most brutal and infamous prisons, has a reputation for being inescapable. With over eight hundred inmates housed under the strictest security, this facility has a dark history, having carried out death penalties until two decades ago. Now, a different approach prevails: a mix of limited freedoms, harsh punishments, and military-like discipline, all under constant surveillance from around seventy cameras that track every movement. One particularly grim section of the prison is reserved for the one hundred sixty lifers. For those confined here, there’s nothing left to lose, as life sentences mean they will remain imprisoned until death. Access to this wing is heavily fortified, requiring guards to navigate a complex system of mechanical and electronic locks, making escape utterly impossible.