Lesotho's Maseru Central Correctional Institute in Southern Africa holds the country's most dangerous and disturbed criminals. Shockingly almost half the inmates are doing time for rape. The culture of sexual violence in Lesotho has deep roots in society. Women are taken as secondary citizens in their culture. And sexual aggression continues inside the prison. In this episode, Raphael Rowe will spend a week locked up in this African prison surrounded by sex offenders.
The tropical island of Mauritius is home to Melrose maximum security prison, where 800 of the country's worst drug smugglers, sex offenders and murderers are locked up. Every convict is watched day and night and even the smallest infraction is met with extreme punishment.
Schwalmstadt Maximum Security Prison in Germany. Locked up behind the walls of this 12th-century castle are 188 of Germany's worst offenders. The prison is a fortress surrounded by a moat, and houses dangerous criminals, many of whom attend intense therapy sessions.
Imagine being in jail. Now imagine living in a foreign country. Scary? Raphael Rowe served 12 years in prison for a crime he was eventually acquitted. He takes you inside these jails. Rowe shows what living conditions are for the inmates, as well as the guards. You'll never look at prison the same. In the first episode, Raphael Rowe spends a week behind bars at Tacumbu prison in Paraguay, where inmates scrounge in the trash in order to pay their own way.
Did China hide crucial information about Covid-19 from the world? What began with a handful of mystery pneumonia cases in Wuhan late last year has now left more than half a million dead worldwide. Beijing says it has been open and transparent throughout, but former BBC China Editor Carrie Gracie investigates how it delayed reporting the initial outbreak and evidence that Covid-19 could be spread by people. It also silenced doctors who tried to speak out. The film also hears from one high-level insider who believes the animal market at the centre of the Wuhan outbreak should have been treated as a 'crime scene' and from experts who warn that this crisis may be a 'dress rehearsal' for an even more deadly pandemic in the future.
Targeting unsuspecting Americans, a group of payday lenders made millions off small loans with undisclosed charges, inflated interest rates and incomprehensible rules. But the way the laws are written, is that a crime or just business?
In this episode, Raphael Rowe will spend a week locked up in this African prison surrounded by sex offenders.