Behind Bars
Louis travels to California to spend two weeks in the notorious San Quentin State Prison. Built in 1852, San Quentin is dangerously overcrowded.
Another chance to see the BAFTA award winning presenter travelling to northern California to visit America's notorious San Quentin State Prison.
Built in 1852, San Quentin is one of America's oldest prisons and suffers from chronic overcrowding. Although famous for its death row the prison's main task is to house a transient population of 3,000 murderers, sexual predators and small-time criminals.
Louis spends two weeks with these inmates and quickly discovers that they inhabit a strange world within a world with its own rules and its own brutal code of conduct.
He meets amongst others David Silva who is serving 521 years and 11 life sentences and is locked down for 23 hours a day. Silva's crimes as he describes them 'would never be forgotten' and he talks of how he faces up to the prospect of never leaving prison.
Louis meets Deborah and Rob a transgender couple who live like husband and wife and how Deborah feels that after 20 years of continual offending, San Quentin now feels like home.
Last on
Music Played
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Calexico
Sprawl
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Cypress Hill
I Wanna Get High
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Louis Theroux |
| Producer | Stuart Cabb |
| Director | Stuart Cabb |
Broadcasts
- Sun 13 Jan 200821:10BBC Two except East, Northern Ireland & Yorkshire
- Thu 24 Jan 200823:20BBC Two England & Northern Ireland only
- Thu 24 Jan 200823:50BBC Two Wales, Scotland & Wales (Analogue) only
Wed 13 Feb 200801:45- Sun 15 Jun 200822:00BBC Two except East & Yorkshire
- Wed 17 Dec 200823:20BBC Two except East, Wales & Yorkshire
- Wed 17 Dec 200823:30BBC Two Wales
- Fri 6 May 201100:20BBC Two England
- Mon 7 May 201222:00BBC Two except East, Wales (Analogue) & Yorkshire
- Sun 14 Jun 202022:45BBC Two except East, Scotland, Wales (Analogue) & Yorkshire
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Discover the harsh realities of life in prison, and life on the front line.
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