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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.

Available now

1 hour

Last on

Sun 14 Jun 2020 22:45
BBC Two

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Under the Knife

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African Hunting Holiday

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Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:03

    Calexico

    Sprawl

  • 00:52

    Cypress Hill

    I Wanna Get High

Credits

Presenter Louis Theroux
Producer Stuart Cabb
Director Stuart Cabb

Broadcasts

  • Sun 13 Jan 2008 21:10
    BBC Two except East, Northern Ireland & Yorkshire
  • Thu 24 Jan 2008 23:20
    BBC Two England & Northern Ireland only
  • Thu 24 Jan 2008 23:50
    BBC Two Wales, Scotland & Wales (Analogue) only
  • Wed 13 Feb 2008 01:45
    BBC One
  • Sun 15 Jun 2008 22:00
    BBC Two except East & Yorkshire
  • Wed 17 Dec 2008 23:20
    BBC Two except East, Wales & Yorkshire
  • Wed 17 Dec 2008 23:30
    BBC Two Wales
  • Fri 6 May 2011 00:20
    BBC Two England
  • Mon 7 May 2012 22:00
    BBC Two except East, Wales (Analogue) & Yorkshire
  • Sun 14 Jun 2020 22:45
    BBC Two except East, Scotland, Wales (Analogue) & Yorkshire

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