America's Hardest Prisons (known in the USA as Lockdown) is an American documentary television series produced for National Geographic Channel which ventures behind the bars of America's toughest, meanest and most daunting jails.
The series premiered in South Africa on DStv's National Geographic Channel on Monday 2 June 2008, at 22h00. There are six hour-long episodes in the series.
Repeats
Tuesdays: 01h00, 04h00
Sundays: 22h00
Mondays: 01h00, 04h00
Synopsis
Venture behind the bars of six of America's toughest, meanest and most daunting jails.
Witness 'Tent City' in Last Chain Gang, where overcrowding has caused inmates to be housed in tents as they survive the extreme desert elements and a special team of officers patrol the city of criminals. Working on the chain gang project can lead to early release.
Meet the new staff recruits at Wyoming State Penitentiary, who need to learn the ropes quickly if they're to stand a chan of keeping the jail's murderers, rapists and child molesters in line, in Outnumbered and Alone.
From the young offenders battling to get their lives back on track in Young and Bad to the gang members continuing their violent lifestyles from within prison in Deadly Allegian, this eye-opening series pulls no punches.
In School of Hard Knocks inmates risk their lives every day in order to try and better themselves and study for qualifications.
Can they stay out of trouble amidst the violent race riots and make it to graduation?