Behind Bars: The World’s Toughest Prisons - Dallas County Jail, Texas, USA | Free Documentary

a different world everybody out on the fence [Applause] [Music] with its own rules zero tolerance back to yourselves gangs violence and harassment i did it to make it tough and inhumane conditions all this behind bars in the toughest prisons in the world impenetrable walls gangs violence one woman in the midst of hardened criminals they can take you over in just a moment's notice man if there's any females on the floor i mean they'll start masturbating you know right there you know out the window a special unit at the ready to quash riots and control gang wars this ain't no play for anybody a lot of a lot of blood gets shared i don't wish this [ __ ] on my worst enemy robbers rapists murderers a melting pot of violence seconds in court determine a possible fate of years behind bars is the state going to offer 17 no your honor is the state offering 17 today no dallas county jail one of the largest and toughest jails in the world dallas texas population 1.3 million glittering high-rises the shiny facade is deceptive once an oil stronghold today a criminal stronghold the crime rate is 40 higher than the national average poverty violence drug wars run amok in too many neighborhoods the ghetto factor reigns just outside downtown bond agencies important for each defendant who wants to avoid ending up here dallas county jail one of the largest detention centers in the u.s and one of the most notorious over 7 000 prisoners await their verdict death penalty included no other state enforces the death penalty more often than texas rush hour is what the guards have dubbed saturday nights almost by the minute new inmates are washed up under the ground floor of the dallas county complex too much alcohol drugs and violence police officers are bringing in the first case of the night this woman attacked her boyfriend with a knife while high on drugs because the suspect spit on the arresting officer she's forced to wear a mask prison guards suspect she has taken pcp or angel dust inexpensive extremely dangerous street drug makes you aggressive and unpredictable [Music] everyone goes through the same process regardless of their condition when being booked into dallas county jail [Music] calm down honey come down calm down calm down fingerprinting is part of the process no matter how hold on we're almost finished okay the main thing is to get it done fast the so-called intake gets filled up to 300 new prisoners arrive daily mass processing the next transport comes directly from a police station waiting in line to get in to notorious dallas county jail often the first prison garden you inmate encounters is a woman it will not be the last in this jail there are more female guards than male guards they have to be tough because the dallas county jail is a powder keg this surveillance video shows escalation within seconds members from different gangs meet up in the intake a lot of them are intoxicated or high on drugs or both the result altercations the prisoners from the transport have to line up many are repeat offenders newbie sergio knows what's in store for him every cell is the wrong song nasty as hell get infections here you get sick last time my face was all just peeled you know what i'm saying a short questionnaire decides mental housing or normal cell you want to hurt or kill yourself no ever attempt suicide in the past no you feel hopeless because you're here today the 31 year old fugitive has been on the run for six months wanted for drug offenses now it's game over the officers search each newcomer for good reason uh drugs knives whatever that they could use to harm themselves or harm someone else pipes whether used for drugs stashed under their stomach or in their clothing or in the private areas every step every move is part of a strictly defined routine the officers don't make exceptions meanwhile the woman with a spit mask has been processed into the system only now it's time for the medical examination because she is intoxicated and on drugs the woman will be sent to the jail clinic for treatment first drugs are a huge problem in dallas one of the main reasons for the continuous supply of new inmates [Music] drugs are the reason sergio has landed in jail again and again he's lived underground for a while using a false name always scared to be caught being on a run sucks you know it's not the life you want it [ __ ] sucks you gotta stay on the low you have to run from cops you know you have to be a different person you know and it's not cool but it's better being in here and getting it over with it the new inmates sit on metal benches waiting for cell allocation sometimes up to 15 hours the reason the sheer size of dallas county jail within prison walls up to 7 100 inmates are awaiting court room has to be found for the new arrivals the prison complex consists of three giant concrete towers [Music] right next to it a huge courthouse the north tower houses 3 300 maximum security prisoners the west tower houses 1 500 inmates it is a mental housing facility in the south tower a general population jail 2 300 inmates today dallas county jail the seventh largest jailhouse in the u.s detention ward for robbers killers drug dealers procedure too after waiting 11 hours it's time for the next step in the process his uniform for the next months possibly years stripes wearing his new uniform he has led to the west tower the mental housing ward it seems one of sergio's answers outed him come back here grab a map the thin mat will probably be the only thing that makes sergio's life a little more comfortable in the next few weeks [Music] is that supposed to be a friendly greeting or a threat sergio isn't sure [Music] cautiously he puts the sheets in his metal framed bed he feels unfairly treated and then once you come up here they put you in wherever you're classified as see like me i know i'm not crazy but i'm a little crazy you know what i'm saying so the fact that i'm a little crazy i mean i'm in here with a lot of crazy people we're all crazy in our own way like just different breeds of animals you know what i'm saying but trying to put us all in one little spot to why would they put crazy people with crazy people you know what i'm saying because they're looking for us to to to do stupid [ __ ] which is what an inmate should avoid doing stupid [ __ ] more on that later 4am north tower 3 300 maximum security prisoners here the toughest of the tough tamarik is one of them accused of capital murder today is the day that decides his future sentencing from 15 years to life anything is possible tamarick just turned 19 and in texas a life sentence can actually mean until the end of your life now only praying can help it's a life in prison so hopefully i feel like going there they tell me some good news i've been hearing bad news the past couple of weeks i hope i hear some good news going to court facing the time i'm facing i'll be having a lot on my mind so i really i don't know about to go home that's it leave it in guy hands practically still a kid himself tamarik has been a member of the infamous bloods gang for years his five cell mates belong to the same gang and have similar views everybody in here facing some time you know i got a capital murder you know might not never go home you feel me but i ain't tripping you feeling everybody else you know super killer super killer robert jack boys you know we got all that in here it's an aggravated tank you got murderers capital murderers robbers aggravated assaults people who like to shoot people but don't kill them you know manslaughters people stab people up you know you got a little bit of everything in here everyone in this cell is still waiting for court for tamrick today is the day the day where his future is decided the day where he finds out how long he will be behind bars [Music] dallas county jail violence gangs and right in the middle of it all women all these men have violent charges all of them exposed between rage and resignation a lot of people back here losing their minds a jail with its own courthouse where a decision is made within three minutes putting you behind bars for three years or for 30. north tower shift start for the special response team srt for short the men are preparing for a cell raid the so-called shakedown is part of the routine here it's like going into battle and the srt is prepared for anything and everything [Music] right here you have your your mace got your radio your handcuffs and here i keep two spit masks another handcuff more mace ready for battle ready for battle they know that the enemy is prepared as well worst thing would be bodily fluids aggravated inmate decided he wanted to take a cup of urine and douse officers with so you know you get bodily fluids in your you know your face your eye your mouth it's not a good thing when push comes to shove the officers do what they have to do a purple ball gun inside you have pepper balls i don't have my gloves on but we use sn it's a purple ball to get inside your lungs to de-escalate the inmate getting shot by pepper balls leaves bruises and is extremely painful north tower second floor west the area is known as the jungle amongst the guards the most violent inmates are located in this area a few days ago the srt found weapons in the cell block reason enough for a surprise visit we're going to go in and try to recover the rest of the weapons that they have in the tank we're going to enter the tank safely take all the proper precautions and come out safely [Music] a surprise raid is part of the strategy demanding immediate go ahead and respect up and behind your back to the right everybody understand hand on your back all prisoners must leave the area some srt members start frisking each inmate [Music] there is no hiding place these guys don't know about the other half of the team goes through the cells you see this fire grate right here they like to take it down break a piece of that off straighten it out put some um put some of their blankets around it make a handle and just sharpen the hands so they can just come up and stab you officer tucker searches every corner and crevice when you're a prisoner you have a lot of time to look for the perfect hiding place that's just hair grease normally i'll put uh coffee in here and they'll put a razor blade underneath the coffee so when you look at it unless you shake it up you won't know it's there well they get razors once a week but they're supposed to turn them back in and a lot of times what they'll do is they'll take um something like this a chip bag just the shiny part and they'll put that inside the razor and it looks like a razor's in there but it's actually a chit bag we just found the uh tattoo needle and extra pills it's a medical condition as well you know they can get staff you know infective skin so we don't allow any tattooing in here so you know they do it on a regular basis but when we see it we crack down on when the srt leaves the cells it is utter chaos the yield was meager today inmates are allowed back into their cells to put their few possessions back in order south tower 2 300 general population prisoners at 2pm officer nichols shift begins she's one of 500 female guards at dallas county jail 60 percent of security guards are women but there's no special treatment for female employees officer nichols has been a detention officer for 25 years work here is not for the faint of heart officer nichols operates the pod a huge collective cell with 64 male inmates after the shift change officer nichols is the only guard on duty gentlemen stop talking on your bunks you all know the rules the same today as they are every day no chairs in the showers no do-rags no towels blankets all that good stuff y'all can unwrap please keep the noise level down i run an aggravated tank meaning aggravated armed robberies aggravated assault with a deadly weapon this is a maximum security pod nothing separates this female guard from the inmates no barrier no window nothing officer nichols first order of business at start of shift head count prisoners must remain in their bunks until the count is over officer nichols can't show a moment of weakness uh talk to your partner tell him to be straight because if you don't i'm gonna have to hurt you later tomorrow will hurt you prison guard is all too aware of her surroundings and the imminent danger you should be a bit not afraid but always on guard if you're not if you're not into if you're a woman and you're not intimidated by being locked in here with 64 men you know they can they can take you over in just a moment's notice because there's a lot of places in here you can't see me if i go up there behind that hole they can get me back there they could you know get me down and beat me up whatever they wanted to do violence is not uncommon and determines jail life in dallas county jail robbers rapists killers are locked up with nothing to lose and many of these inmates are members of opposing street gangs from one second to the next the mood can change which is why the prisoners are separated according to their gang affiliation the bloods reign in this cell nobody comes in here that doesn't belong gang wars begin on the streets and continue inside the facility it is part of the guard's daily routine to separate gang members and settle disputes disputes and conflicts that tamarik recalls all too well from childhood he was in a juvenile detention center for the first time when he was 10 years old today nine years later he is ready for court he's been charged with murder he and his brother allegedly shot a customer in a drug deal dispute they say i pull the trigger you know it's me and my brother on the case they say i pull the trigger they say he set it up but something just got to happen you know it's how it's all about who you is you know growing up in the hood you know what i'm saying my first time ever going to jail i'm 10 years old you know i've been heading out since then from juvenile to her you know but at the same time i've learned from my mistakes you know along with tamarack 200 inmates have their court date today waiting together for a fate that will send many behind bars for decades routine in one of the toughest detention centers in the world back at the west tower the mental housing award sergio has set up his makeshift home who knows for how long because it can be months before his case comes up for trial we're grown as men in here you know what i'm saying and who gives a [ __ ] about us you know i'm saying we're worried about our people who are out there who who don't have us to fend for them but none of us is going to stay in this [ __ ] forever the only option hang in there and try and stay out of trouble sure you just gotta find out how to go about your day without without you getting into any conflicts or you know getting into people's ways or getting into people's funks you know what i'm saying advice that not everyone adheres to although the supposedly normal prisoners are housed in the pod there are still regular outbreaks of violence there's some days it's bad because you'll come in they'll be fighting when you come in screaming and yelling and running and and you'll have two or three fights blood all kinds of good stuff the timeout cell is for inmates who make trouble in the pod up to 23 hours solitary confinement on order of the warden but even this deterrence is useless if a prisoner has been sentenced to years behind bars this is the moment when most of the inmates go berserk when they get sentenced that's that's usually the rough days the days they're sentenced because they'll get you know say 10 15 years they know oh gosh now what i don't see my mom i don't see my wife i don't see my children if they get life or if they get the death penalty they're they're transferred out immediately from the court they're transferred immediately because then they don't have anything to lose they can come back and you know harm me harm with the other officers and harm all the inmates pepper spray doesn't do much good in those cases but it is the only thing officer nichols and her co-workers can use apart from handcuffs and radio if one of the inmates decides to attack the best line of defense is to keep calm stay cool it is my job so i have to do what i have to do if the inmates fear that you are scared of them they will take advantage of that the female officers are said to be especially tough and relentless dealing with the inmates [Music] we got to let them know we we are more powerful than the man themselves we can just work just as hard as them [Music] many of the prisoners get medication often to sedate them or because they have mental problems getting their meds from the female nurse isn't the only reason they wait in anticipation if there's any females on the floor i mean they'll they'll start masturbating you know right there you know out the window you'll see a lot of them looks like they're putting their hands in their pockets but they have no pockets when it comes to masturbation the staff is merciless we have men they'll be in the shower and they'll pleasure themselves in the shower we tell them get out of the shower get out pack your stuff we put them right out gotta pack your stuff and get out and they they understand they know what's up they know what they're doing they know hey uh-oh busted meal time in the pot and a well-deserved break for officer nichols because she has to be on top of her game and vigilant for every second of her shift it's all hand-to-hand combat when you're working with these guys always that's why i say we have to be physically fit and we have some some violent men and like i said this pod is a maximum security pod all these men have violent charges all of them however the most dangerous violent criminals sit in the north tower in isolation cells the srt is there regularly due to lack of space officers enter the narrow cells without their armored suits here the mood is often just as aggressive as in the group housing facility hey go ahead and sleep for me inmates are so dangerous that even the best trained special unit will only enter the area when they outnumber the prisoners irvin put your pants up pure chaos prevails in many of these isolation cells inmates let their aggressions run wild in solitary confinement inmates regularly go ballistic it's up to the srt to bring these prisoners to their senses they run around they jump on people they beat people up my rotator cuff is torn completely i used to play baseball i can't play baseball anymore a prisoner is rampaging in his cell phone all right i need to go to the nurse cause i'm putting something in that dick hey tell that point come on i just want to talk to him face to face hey listen [Music] hey listen sprinkle right now i just need your list of what i'm saying okay need you to bag up away from the door i need to go to that corner right there don't stick that in there let's go ahead and restrain them [ __ ] i mean she's a [ __ ] nurse see what i'm saying you almost almost breaks my arm this guy's good tired of this [ __ ] relax relax no i need to go to the [ __ ] nurse stop positioning i'm not resisting the more you resist the type of the cuffs all right about the cubs frankie let him restrain you okay i'm tired of this [ __ ] i just want to get the [ __ ] out of this cell the procedure is always the same when the srt enters well we we try to make entry um as safely as we can what we'll do we'll line a team up and then we'll make entry we get a command for the inmate to lay down if you don't lay down then we have to go in and we have to use the amount of force necessary to take them to the ground whoever keeps resisting will get chaired it is this special chair strapped in using force if necessary his finger is not broken but resisting causes pain the prisoner now has time to calm down [Music] you can only keep me in two hours i'm sorry it turns out he doesn't need to see the nurse because he did not insert anything into his penis [Music] in solitary around the clock no daylight no tv no company only books in the newspaper it's enough to drive anyone crazy i'll be back here 145 days on the 90 day on the 90 day disciplinary ain't no nothing this is about the toughest thing right here you just stand in this room right here a lot of people back here losing their mind a lot of inmates back here they cut themselves they try to hurt themselves i ain't even got no clothes i'm nick what about ass [ __ ] they do us bad in the [ __ ] in here man this is what it looks like from the inside 40 square feet with a steel toilet cement shower and a stone bed any inmate who attacks other prisoners or a guard ends up here for 90 days some prisoners are so violent they are in solitary indefinitely the only change of pace three times a week for one hour in the prison yard if you can call it that isolation and monotony that too belongs to the strategy of dallas county jail one of the toughest detention centers in the world the isolation cell block is the only area in the prison complex where no women work even the male guards never enter the cells without the specialized srt the only contact with the outside world the feeder part many of the men in here are proud of their crimes oh oh man uh murder i'm here for murder yeah so i was on the news i made the news so when someone makes the news they bring them back here um in a minute an administrative custody so that uh people mad at me can't touch me or hurt me or any kind of way like that you know jesse really was in the news it was a sad headline pensioner killed by a man for no reason in the middle of the street i got drunk and then um i blacked out and i assaulted some woman she died later on because she was in a coma and that pushed the charge up to a murder so i'm here i'm in here for murder now 21 year old has plenty of time to think my family you know i disappointed him a lot of people back here you know i'm saying the disappointments to certain people and that's another thing that's been the hard thing to get over you know what i'm saying coping with their deeds their crimes that is what drives so many of the inmates in solitary to the brink of [Music] insanity the so-called trustees and these group detention areas get more to do than the isolation prisoners trustees are considered less prone to violence and may therefore carry out relief work in the detention center change of pace yes but not always of the pleasant kind the worst part of the job is having to clean up the single cells a lot of them are you know very psychotic yeah on medications and stuff and they when they act out we're the ones that get together and they throw feces and blood on the wall i mean we have to go in there and clean it up nevertheless the two inmates do the trustee job voluntarily they see it as a chance as a first step to get away from drugs drugs is what got them in here [Music] from the time i was 19 years old up until two years ago i'm 30 right now i didn't touch anything stronger than aspirin i was completely sober i was working on a oil rig in the gulf of mexico and i was married and then my wife at the time said that we lost our baby at eight months and so i just got really depressed and decided to start doing heroin manufacturing delivery of methamphetamines and ghb so i was selling it to make a living i mean i was doing it and i was selling it to support my habit and live that lifestyle so it's not worth it cleaning in the isolation cell tract often running the gauntlet any second something can come flying through the feeder part these guys back here i mean they'll they'll will clean up some messes there's this one inmate that would write with blood on the wall and then with feces on the wall bad stuff or they'll try to like throw you know feces or our urine on you so like a lot of times you have to be aware of all the all the cells around you make sure that you know the door doesn't open and somebody's not there and they're gonna throw something on you the trustees often get targeted [Music] actually the other prisoners should at least be glad to meet the trustees at meal time but even the food causes trouble because for most it's not enough time sometimes they want extra food not sometimes most of the time yeah so if trustee won't give we said don't give trusty has no right to give extra so when he doesn't give they take they think that that's him not giving and try to throw three meals per day through the feeder part the cell door definitely remains closed you want special praise willis all right i mean a lot of people in here keep it real real nasty you know they don't really clean as often they don't care i mean this is the last stop of the jail for all the father the worst of the worst dallas county jail riots and raids around the clock reservoir for criminals and they murderers i shot someone through a door killed him on the other side tamarik a murderer is being sentenced today quickly very quickly i'm asking you if it was if 25 was ever recommended no how long will he have to stay behind bars we will find out soon enough [Music] dallas county jail one of the toughest jails in the world the special response team is positioned for another raid in the north tower the suspicion a cell phone is in there yeah uh we have a lot of guys they still you know do dope you know they run the dope houses from inside the jails you know a lot of kingpins so it is an important item inside the jail this right here is a very routed tank we definitely have to get control of this tank the srt is in position the cell doors can be opened only from the secured surveillance room that takes time the situation escalates the prisoners are going after each other [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the prisoners know once srt rushes into the cell showtime is over they don't stand a chance against pepper ball guns and the special unit the team leads the prisoners away the search for the phone starts it has to be somewhere one of the guys that's in the tank his girlfriend's mother is the one that called and said that he's harassing you know her she the one that tipped us off that it was a cell phone in here the officers take everything apart go through everything mattresses clothes blankets but other than an unfinished plastic stabbing weapon they find nothing no trace of the phone in the game inmates against srt there is a clear winner today it's a hit and miss sometimes we win sometimes we lose but we win more than we lose but we'll find it we'll eventually find it sergeant with him on suspicion the phone was passed into another cell block the officers will search every inch of the dallas county jail until they find it no matter where it is outside it's night inside in the isolation cells time of day doesn't matter estevan hasn't seen the sun or the moon for a long time now he's convinced of his innocence they say i shot someone through a door killed him on the other side the person on the other side of the door was shaking the door trying to get in at 3am in the morning but uh there's five people in the room everybody took off running they only got me you know they got a video of the person that did this running out the room but they can't find him they don't know nothing about him so since they got me they just oh the guy with the tattoos on his face he did it he has served 10 years for a drug offense now it could be a life sentence [Music] court date at dallas county jail more than 200 inmates have their day in court today tamarik has been in custody for two years waiting for this moment let me see which man step up all right here's my event an underground tunnel leads into the court building escape out of the question and like everything else in dallas county jail the inmates have hours of waiting ahead of them okay i came here young i have no patience now i got patience now i know how to just chill i think to myself i'm getting my own phone i'm a little nervous judge holmes is about to sentence the 19 year old tamarick's only chance to avoid a lifelong prison sentence a plea bargaining with the state should the deal fall through the only other option is trial by jury and they generally show no sympathy for a gang member tamrick cannot afford a lawyer and therefore he has a public defender mr jackson you're before the court for an admonishment it's my understanding that the state's first plea bargain offer was 25 years in other words in exchange for a plea of guilty from you the state would recommend to the court that you'd be sentenced to a term of printing 25 years in the penitentiary was that your understanding no ma'am all right was that plea recommendation offered to you at any point since you've been incarcerated it was recommended to me 20. i'm asking you if it was if 25 was ever recommended no all right mr broccoli that was that was the state's first offer the state's first offer was 25. and then you said what no all right you wanted 20. is that right yes ma'am okay and mr brockley has communicated to you that the state has reduced their offer and they've agreed to recommend to the court that you'd be sentenced to 20 years is that correct yes ma'am and then you said that you wanted 17 is that right yes okay is the state going to offer 17 no your owner is the state offering 17 today no is the state going to offer 17 at any time no no okay so that means that you can accept the 20 years or we can set this case for trial i'm i'm winning the step 20 today all right very well i find you guilty punishment is assessed at 20 years in the penitentiary it is therefore the order judgment and decree of this court that you'll be taken by the sheriff of dallas county and by her safely held for transport to an authorized receiving agency of the texas department of criminal justice wherein you shall be confined for a period of 20 years or until this sentence is otherwise discharged according to law good luck to you real time a two-minute hearing a 20-year sentence that too is dallas county jail i don't get it out with it don't know what i got to do you know we're going through court you never know what's gonna happen you know what i'm saying now i know i got seven more to do just gonna put in my mind i gotta sell money to do so i can get to that here then for my type of case 20 you know it sounds bad but it's good though for my type of case best thing going right now i'm ready to go back to the time get on the phone the hope for salvation comes true for only a very few in the south tower officer nichols shift is ending let's go guys rack up alone as a woman with 64 hardened criminals every day without a serious incident is a good day for officer nichols what was a good day no fights nobody injured and have sent anybody to the nurse for uh injuries out in the the wreck area was it actually today has been a very good day they've been quiet they've been they've been behaved against the monotony against the time that passes you by unused in jail the two trustees are going to be released soon they want to fundamentally change their lives it's probably their last chance the judge has made that perfectly clear if you mess this up you're coming back to jail we'll get you we'll catch you eventually we'll find you you can't run forever and when you do we're starting off at 15 years tdc i'm 43 years old there's no way i want to go to spend another 10 years in prison and get out to try to start over at 53 no there's no way i'm gonna be here for probably another week or two and then i'm catching chain to tdc's safe pete it's a six month of kind of in prison rehab and you're in prison the whole time for six months and six to seven months they say and then i'm gonna be released you know on probation a very intense probation if tamrick does well in prison he can get out after 10 years on probation for good behavior he didn't commit the crime he says but he knows what went wrong a mexican got killed you know he got shot two times in the face nine times an hour you know they want to say that i was a trigger man but really you know i was just dirt stay stay at the streets drugs and money it [ __ ] up my life so what did you pull a trigger no trigger serious crimes lost years wasted years ruined lives life in one of the toughest detention centers in the world dallas county jail

Channel: Free Documentary

Views: 13,385,717

Rating: 4.7003055 out of 5

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, BBC documentary, usa, jail, texas, united stated, behind bars, drugs, crime, prison, justice, prison documentary, jail documentary, toughest prisons, prisons usa, texas prisons documentary, dallas prison, texas jail documentary, texas jail, behind bars usa

Id: fkX2hanoYyM

Length: 46min 8sec (2768 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 05 2018