Full transcript
0:07a different world
0:10in which only the strongest endure.
0:14>> I was just outside uh later uh I stabbed
0:19the guy eight times.
0:21>> Zero tolerance.
0:26We have all kinds of criminals from drug
0:28smugglers to those serving the country's
0:30longest prison terms.
0:32>> All this behind bars,
0:36gangs,
0:40violence,
0:44drugs,
0:48harassment.
0:56A daily [music] survival of the fittest
1:01and the toughest prisons in the world.
1:08Iceland, the dream destination for
1:11tourists from all over the world.
1:15Known for its [music] majestic
1:16waterfalls
1:22and impressive geysers.
1:27The island nation is considered one of
1:29the safest countries in the world.
1:35However, for several years, drug use has
1:38been on the rise, particularly in the
1:40capital city of Reichuik, and with it,
1:43[music] the number of violent crimes.
1:50Compared to previous years, the number
1:52of drugs seized has almost doubled.
1:58Anyone
2:01caught by the police smuggling drugs or
2:03committing other crimes ends up here in
2:06the highsecurity prison liter the oldest
2:10and largest prison in the country. Some
2:1480 criminals sit here behind thick steel
2:16doors monitored by countless [music]
2:18cameras.
2:20Escape is virtually impossible. Those
2:23who do manage to escape don't get far.
2:27Iceland is completely surrounded by
2:29water.
2:33It's [music]
2:347 in the morning. Although it's still
2:36hours until dawn in the Icelandic
2:38winter, the prison is slowly coming to
2:41life. A new shift begins for prison
2:44guard Harpa.
2:46She has been guarding [music] Iceland's
2:48serious criminals for 16 years.
2:59I hope today will be a normal day. That
3:02is always my hope when I start my shift.
3:07Harper will spend the next 8 hours with
3:09the most dangerous criminals in the
3:11country.
3:18That's why the first step is to dawn
3:21[music] protective clothing.
3:25I feel safer wearing a vest. It just
3:27feels good to have it on.
3:32>> The guards in Lit Laun do not carry
3:34weapons in an emergency. They only have
3:37their radio which they can use to call
3:39for help.
3:48Liter's
3:50largest prison.
3:52It consists of four main buildings.
3:54Building one houses the isolation wing.
3:59House 2 is the administration and the
4:01cells for new arrivals.
4:04House 3 has three cell corridors [music]
4:06with a total of 23 cells.
4:10House 4 is the largest building. Five
4:14cell corridors [music] house 55
4:16offenders.
4:18Opposite the cell buildings are the
4:20workshops, a school, [music] the
4:22visiting rooms, and the prison hospital.
4:27God [music] Harpa is on duty in house 3
4:30today.
4:41It's shortly before 8:00 a.m.
4:44>> When we start our shift, the first thing
4:46we do is unlock the cells. Then we
4:49distribute the medication.
4:53>> Harpa sets off together with her
4:54colleague Gona. For safety reasons, the
4:57guards always work in pairs when they
5:00enter a cell block.
5:08We have all kinds of crimes here. We
5:11don't separate them into categories or
5:13anything like that. We mix them
5:15together. We have anything you can think
5:17of from drug offenses to the longest
5:20prison sentence ever given in Iceland.
5:25>> Every morning, unlocking the doors
5:27represents a critical moment. Harpa and
5:31her colleagues never know what state of
5:33mind the prisoners will be in.
5:48Good morning.
5:58Good morning.
6:01I need a sign of life from everyone
6:08>> in prison. [music] Most suicide attempts
6:10happen at night.
6:22Harpa also gets a first impression of
6:24the mood the men are in.
6:32Everyone is awake and has responded,
6:35which is what we want to see.
6:38>> They continue now to the first floor
6:40where the other cell blocks are located.
6:43While some prisoners are still asleep,
6:46others are already waiting impatiently
6:48to finally leave their cells.
6:56Everything is fine here too.
7:02The cells are also open next door in
7:04building 4.
7:12There are five cell blocks here.
7:14Everything is under video surveillance.
7:21Each cell corridor has a communal
7:24kitchen. The prisoners have to cook for
7:26themselves. There is no prison kitchen.
7:32There are 11 cells per corridor. [music]
7:40One of the inmates in building 4 [music]
7:42is 43-year-old Marco. Born in Croatia,
7:46he has been in Lit Laroon [music] for 3
7:48months. He has now gotten used to the
7:51prison routine.
7:53getting ready to clean my maroon uh make
7:58breakfast and ready for job except
8:00Sunday. Sunday is a little bit different
8:03but it's always busy. I'm always busy.
8:06Let me make myself routine as much as I
8:07can. Then it's faster time. So it's it's
8:11good.
8:13>> It will be several years [music] before
8:15he is released.
8:23I expect four to 5 years I was from
8:25smuggling cocaine.
8:28>> The police found 7 kg [music]
8:30on him. The verdict will be announced in
8:33a few days. In Iceland, drug smuggling
8:36[music] carries a sentence of up to 12
8:39years in prison.
8:43Like all inmates, [music]
8:45Marco has an 8 square meter single cell
8:48with a TV and bathroom.
8:59>> Prisoners lock their cells during the
9:01day. Theft among themselves is common
9:04place. In order [music] to leave the
9:07wing, Marco has to report to the guards.
9:19Marco work.
9:22Okay, you go.
9:25>> Only now can he open the door.
9:29Marco has to be at work at 8:30 at the
9:31latest. Anyone who is frequently late
9:34will lose their job.
9:43He just made it.
9:50>> Okay, before I go before I go to my
9:53work, I will go to the laundry to give
9:55my laundry to the for there.
9:58So,
10:03yo,
10:05give me this for the laundry. Little
10:10>> prisoners can have their laundry washed
10:12for free. Marcus's workplace is right
10:15next door. He works in the [music]
10:18prison's metal workshop.
10:22>> Good morning.
10:24>> Marco and two fellow inmates work on
10:26orders from outside [music] and make
10:28things for the prison. It's a whole new
10:31world for the former restaurant owner.
10:40H I was working with woods outside but
10:43not with the metal. This is my first.
10:45When I asked for the job, I asked him,
10:48"Hey, can I get do you know metal?" I
10:50say, "I can try." And then I just didn't
10:53do it. So everything is easy to learn.
10:57But you just want to need it to want it
11:00to work. nothing more. Most of the guys
11:03don't work. They're staying upstairs and
11:05pills and sleep. It's not good.
11:10>> He earns the equivalent of about $3 per
11:12hour. He uses some of the money for
11:15himself and sends [music] the rest to
11:17his children. However, being busy is
11:20more important to him than the money.
11:23>> But it's good. It's good. It's good.
11:25It's good time like this is good.
11:27The inmates [music] work around 6 hours
11:29a day. 6 hours during which they could
11:33forget the dreary prison [music] routine
11:34for a few moments.
11:42The prison has [music] three other
11:44workshops.
11:45A license plate production facility,
11:53a carpentry shop,
12:03and an electrical [music] recycling
12:05operation.
12:06Jobs are scarce and highly sought after.
12:12There is a special system in place to
12:14ensure that the whereabouts of each
12:16prisoner are known at all times.
12:28>> The prisoners have to give me their
12:29keys. They're not allowed to keep them.
12:32In exchange, I give them a card. That
12:34way we know who is in the cell block and
12:36who is outside.
12:38When they go to work, they have to give
12:40this card to my colleagues there.
12:45>> Another card shows the guards where the
12:47prisoner is currently located.
12:59In addition, countless highresolution
13:01cameras are installed throughout the
13:03prison grounds. No corner remains
13:06unobserved.
13:08The only place prisoners are not filmed
13:10[music] are in their cells.
13:14At least [music] one guard is always
13:16sitting in front of their surveillance
13:18monitors, watching everything very
13:20closely.
13:22After 16 years, Harper notices
13:24immediately when something is up.
13:30>> We keep an eye on that person.
13:32>> No,
13:33>> exactly. We don't trust anybody.
13:37>> That's why they never take [music] their
13:39eyes off the monitors, not even for a
13:41second.
13:45Those who haven't landed one of the
13:47coveted jobs spend most of their day in
13:50the cell block. like 23-year-old Ingo.
13:54He is the prisoner currently serving the
13:56longest sentence here and is considered
13:59[music] unpredictable. He was sentenced
14:01to 18 years for multiple crimes.
14:05>> First, when I was 18, I got 2 years. Uh
14:08I got 2 years for 20 cases.
14:12Uh it was three armed robberies in one
14:16day.
14:18I think it's the I think it's like a
14:21record three three in one day. Okay. So,
14:26yeah, I got two years. Then I went in
14:30prison. I was almost 2 years. Uh I went
14:33out for 2 weeks, shot a man in the chest
14:38uh and got 8 years. Then I was over here
14:43just outside. Uh later uh I stabbed the
14:47guy eight times.
14:50>> Ingo is not allowed to work in prison.
14:53The risk of giving him tools is too
14:55great.
14:57His only activities are watching
14:59television and listening to music.
15:02>> Sure.
15:09[music]
15:17>> [music]
15:22[music]
15:25>> Now you give me some. [music]
15:30[singing]
15:32>> Yeah, I was saying I want to go home.
15:36[music] You know, [singing] it's very
15:37deep.
15:40Making music is also a way for him to
15:42[music] express his feelings.
15:50>> I write lyrics here.
15:53All those papers and I'm over there, you
15:56know, the books and I write
15:59lyrics, you know.
16:02In countless song lyrics, he processes
16:04[music] his anger and frustration about
16:07life in prison.
16:20Despite everything, his family still
16:22stands by him.
16:26>> I call him like almost [music] every
16:28day. Uh yeah, mother and father. I could
16:33call my sister more. She complains. I
16:36don't I don't call enough, you know.
16:40>> It will be [music] another 10 years
16:42before Ingo is reunited with his family.
16:46That is assuming he doesn't commit any
16:48misdeeds while in prison. It's late
16:51morning at the high security prison.
16:54Everything is quiet at the moment, but
16:57that could change at any time.
17:01Guard Hopper checks that everything is
17:03in order in building one. This is where
17:06the isolation wing is located.
17:22We bring them here when they can't stay
17:23in the corridor due to problems or when
17:26there has been a fight.
17:28We can keep them for 24 hours or longer
17:32with a court order.
17:37A toilet,
17:39a sink,
17:42a bed,
17:45and a table. That's all there's here.
17:51The most extreme cases [music] end up
17:53next door. There is absolutely nothing
17:56here that prisoners can use to injure
17:59themselves or cause a disturbance.
18:03A surveillance camera hangs from the
18:05ceiling. The windows are made of special
18:08shatterproof plexiglass.
18:14They can't flush the toilet themselves
18:15either. Only we can do that. There are
18:19often prisoners here with mental health
18:21issues and some try to flood the cell by
18:23clogging the toilet. That's why as a
18:26preventative measure, it's done this
18:28way.
18:31>> Anyone who ends up in this cell is a
18:34danger to themselves and to everyone
18:36else.
18:42At the moment, the cells [music] are
18:44empty, but that will soon change.
18:52For now, however, everything is running
18:55smoothly. This is also the case in the
18:58workshops. In the carpentry workshop,
19:01prisoners make cutting boards and other
19:03household items. The prison sells these
19:06items online, using the proceeds to
19:09finance materials and machinery.
19:12At work, prisoners have access to all
19:15kinds of tools, each of which is a
19:17potentially lethal weapon.
19:20Guardon selects the prisoners for his
19:23workshop extremely carefully.
19:26>> I have two or three conversations with
19:27each person beforehand. I also ask other
19:30guards for their opinion. When you've
19:31been here for almost 20 years, like me,
19:34you get to know people. Some of them
19:35keep coming back.
19:37Those who convince him [music] have a
19:39good chance of receiving top-notch
19:41training. Yon's goal is to provide
19:44inmates with enough knowledge so that
19:46they can get a job outside.
19:50Well, the men in here, they all have
19:53different backgrounds and talents.
19:56And basically, my job is to teach them
19:59everything I know.
20:02So sometimes I give them my personal
20:05phone number
20:07and when they apply for jobs outside
20:10the company representative can call me
20:12and ask me about them and three of my
20:16guys from the workshop here have even
20:18passed their journeyman's examination.
20:22>> This is something Yan is extremely
20:24[music] proud of and it motivates him.
20:30But even he [music] doesn't trust any of
20:32the inmates 100%.
20:35At the end of the day, he checks
20:37everyone with a metal detector.
20:49>> Time and again, prisoners manage to
20:51smuggle tools and other items out of the
20:53workshops.
20:58During cell searches, guards sometimes
21:00find these items. Security Chief Omar
21:03keeps the most unusual ones as a kind of
21:06memorial.
21:10>> These are made of plastic, so we can't
21:12find them with a metal detector.
21:15They hide them somewhere. Most of them
21:18have them for self-defense.
21:21>> In any case, the weapon is still
21:23potentially deadly. In addition to
21:25homemade [music] weapons, cell phones
21:27are also highly sought after by inmates.
21:34What looks like a toy is actually a
21:36functional phone with a SIM card. Omar
21:40also shows a homemade tattoo machine.
21:48>> They take a pen and find a motor from a
21:51razor or something to create the
21:53vibration.
21:56They take apart things they're allowed
21:58to have, for example, game consoles or
22:01household appliances and so on.
22:04>> They break it just to get a certain
22:05part.
22:09>> Since the cells themselves are not
22:11monitored, the guards can only take
22:13limited action.
22:28That worries us, which is why we wear
22:31stabroof vests
22:34>> because when in doubt, they know they
22:37themselves can become victims.
22:48The 45,000 square meter prison grounds
22:51are surrounded by two 4 m high fences.
22:59The guards check the fences once a day.
23:12So now we're going to walk around the
23:14territory
23:16just to make sure no one has thrown
23:20anything over the fences.
23:22And this is also just a security check
23:25for all the fences to see if the fences
23:27are maybe has someone has cut the fence
23:30or something.
23:37Me personally, I I haven't found
23:39anything unusual.
23:41It's just maybe other other prison
23:43guards. They found football uh that
23:47contains a phone.
23:51[snorts]
23:52So, they someone just cut up open a
23:55football and just put a phone inside
23:59and then just taped around it and threw
24:01it over. Not all items make it over both
24:05fences. That's exactly what A4 is
24:08looking for now.
24:14Then he discovers [music] something
24:16suspicious.
24:18Drugs could be wrapped in this
24:20inconspicuous piece of paper.
24:25Then the all clear.
24:28>> It's probably just a plastic bag or
24:30something.
24:35I'll take this.
24:40After half an hour, the tour is over.
24:43Apart from [music] some trash, A4 hasn't
24:46found anything today.
24:50>> It is now afternoon. For the prisoners,
24:54[music] that means yard time.
25:00Today, Guardon is supervising the prison
25:03sports grounds.
25:13>> Well, here I'm checking everything and
25:15making sure that everything is as it
25:17should be. And then I walk along the
25:20fence and enter guard house number two.
25:23There I supervise the prisoners until a4
25:26to 5.
25:28The big challenge prisoners from
25:30different corridors are about to meet.
25:32Yon also checks that nothing has made it
25:35over the fences.
25:37Well, for example, they take bottle
25:39caps, stick cannabis or pills inside
25:42them, add a coin to make the whole thing
25:45heavier, stick it all together, and then
25:47they toss them over.
25:50>> After 20 years, he knows most of the
25:53tricks.
25:58From the guard house, he can see the
26:00entire sports field. A colleague takes a
26:03position opposite him.
26:14>> Well, I watch what they do. You know
26:18who's with whom, who's talking to whom.
26:21If something seems suspicious, I let my
26:24colleague over there know that he should
26:26keep an eye on them.
26:28And if something happens, I call for
26:30help via radio. Otherwise, I just
26:33observe.
26:36>> There have been times when he has had to
26:38[music] separate fighting parties during
26:40arguments. Today, however, it does not
26:43appear that this will be necessary.
26:48Meanwhile, inmate Marco is on his way to
26:50the prison gym. Inmates can choose
26:53whether to go to the sports grounds or
26:55to the gym.
27:10>> Marco trains every day. He's learned
27:13quickly in prison. The law of the
27:16strongest applies.
27:18>> It's not perfect gym, but it's good.
27:23It's good because later you relax in
27:25your head. Not it will bet good if you
27:28have for boxing for example for the we
27:30have only slippery so you cannot do
27:32much. But it's okay. It's okay. Little
27:35by little.
27:37>> The weight room is slowly filling up.
27:43Yo, you will see a lot of guys
27:45especially in the morning. Spanish,
27:47Polish, I don't know. This one is
27:49Polish. You see this one is dangerous
27:52one. [laughter]
27:56>> The men now have just over an hour to
27:59let off steam and [music] demonstrate
28:01their strength to the others.
28:15Guard Harper and her colleague Gunnar
28:17[music] are about to finish their shift.
28:31Everything went well. It was a quiet
28:33shift.
28:36>> That's how we like it.
28:38>> That's right.
28:38>> Yeah.
28:41>> Okay.
28:47>> While the two guards go home to their
28:49families,
28:51the worst part of the day begins for the
28:54prisoners.
28:56From now on, they are no longer allowed
28:58to leave the corridors.
29:00This also means that there are hardly
29:02any distractions left. Marco has
29:05retreated to his cell.
29:07>> I'm writing to my girl. I have a girl.
29:11Uh I have a girlfriend actually. She
29:14lives in Sweden. She lives in Sweden
29:17because I moved from Croatia to Sweden.
29:20They are divorced. And uh yeah, I find a
29:23girlfriend and we are still together.
29:26And I'm I'm very happy because of this.
29:30But Sweden is more than 2,000 km away.
29:34Regular visits [music] are difficult.
29:36Letters and phone calls are the only way
29:39to keep in touch, even with his
29:41children.
29:44>> Two girls, 14 and 16, and uh
29:48unfortunately I'm not good with their
29:50mother. We are uh fighting on the court
29:53all the time. But uh it is what it is.
29:58finding uh trying to do the best what
30:01can Okay.
30:03And uh yeah, sometimes it's hard,
30:06sometimes is you're up, sometimes you're
30:08down, but uh it's like life.
30:12>> Not being [music] able to see his
30:13girlfriend and children is the worst
30:15thing for Marco.
30:22I felt it from the start. I knew it it
30:24will be wrong. I know it it will go
30:26something wrong. I I had the instinct,
30:29you know, and and two dogs were inside
30:31my car, you know. Two dogs were
30:32searching inside my car. They couldn't
30:34find it, you know. But of course, idiots
30:37calling, sending photos, you know, and
30:38this and this. Of course, they find they
30:40know that I come, you know. But uh
30:43[sighs]
30:45is what it is. I didn't rape nobody. I
30:47didn't
30:49pedophile. Not this this I don't
30:50respect. This this I [snorts] this I I
30:53and this we cannot have in this hole.
30:55This is something what is for this
30:58everybody can do everything believe even
31:01you.
31:02>> In a few days time when his sentence is
31:05announced [music] he will find out how
31:07long he will have to stay in prison.
31:13Then [music] nightfalls and things
31:16slowly quiet down at Iceland's toughest
31:19prison.
31:23the next day.
31:28Today, two former inmates are visiting
31:31the prison.
31:33They work for an organization where
31:35former criminals support and [music]
31:37advise current inmates.
31:41We hear about all the worries in the
31:43world here. We just try to be there and
31:45listen and of course help solve
31:48problems, whether they are emotional
31:50problems or bureaucratic ones.
31:54Today they are visiting inmate Hakur. He
31:56has been serving an almost 2 years
31:58sentence for drug trafficking.
32:03The idea for the organization [music]
32:05came to founder Gumundur during his own
32:08time in prison.
32:13Astada was founded right here next door
32:16in cell 236
32:18simply because I noticed so many things
32:21that needed to be improved. We are a few
32:24decades behind in terms of the prison
32:26system in Iceland. There are just so
32:29many people here in prisons who need
32:31help.
32:34Thanks to his own prison past, inmates
32:37[music] quickly build trust. He himself
32:39spent more than 15 years behind bars.
32:48>> I've been going to prisons for my
32:50organization for so many years now that
32:54it doesn't bother me anymore.
32:57But in the beginning, shortly after I
32:59was released, it was very difficult to
33:01be here.
33:05Prisoner Hakur is a well-known rapper in
33:08Iceland.
33:18>> The former inmates are supposed to help
33:20him continue making music even [music]
33:22in prison.
33:26>> I always have a pen and paper with me
33:28here. I'm constantly writing something
33:30down, but I don't think I really write a
33:32new song until I'm back outside.
33:36>> I mean, maybe it would also be a
33:39possibility to teach others
33:42as a kind of job in here. We could
33:45suggest that
33:50>> they take almost two hours to listen to
33:52Hakur's concerns and [music] wishes and
33:55discuss possible solutions.
34:03Then for the two of them, the prison
34:05gates open again.
34:09>> It feels good to be able to leave.
34:11>> For many years, this was not possible
34:14for him or his colleague.
34:193:30 p.m. It will soon be dark over the
34:23high security prison. [snorts]
34:31>> [music]
34:32>> Guard Harpa is working the late shift
34:34today. The guards at Laun work [music]
34:38in a three shift system.
34:43The prisoners are more restless in the
34:45evening. During the day, they have a
34:48program, [clears throat] but in the
34:49evening that's over and they have
34:51nothing to do.
34:53You could say that the most surprising
34:54things happen during the evening shifts.
35:01Harpa is on duty today in house 4, the
35:04prison's largest cell block.
35:12>> During the handover, [music]
35:13she learns from her colleague that a
35:15prisoner was caught with drugs today and
35:18is now in solitary confinement.
35:26They took this from the prisoner today.
35:29>> He was smoking drugs with it.
35:34>> Yeah.
35:35>> And they found a modified fork.
35:39>> Later, after lockdown, [music]
35:41Harpa and her colleagues will search the
35:43prisoner's cell.
35:45The [music] searches always take place
35:47late in the evening when everyone is
35:49locked in their cells for security
35:52reasons.
35:53For now, everyday life in prison
35:56continues as normal.
36:03At 5:00 p.m., inmate Marco is allowed to
36:06leave the cell corridor for the last
36:08time that day.
36:12>> We are going to the shop. I miss some
36:14groceries for the food today.
36:17Thank you.
36:18>> The prison has its own small
36:20supermarket, [music] the only place
36:22where inmates can obtain food.
36:30>> Hello, boss.
36:33>> Boss, we need uh onion, two onions, two
36:37cooking creams if you have.
36:40Prices in the prison supermarket are
36:42similar to those outside. Prisoners have
36:45the equivalent of $14 per day at their
36:48[music] disposal. That may sound like a
36:51lot at first, but Iceland is one of the
36:54most expensive [music] countries in the
36:56world. Even a simple yogurt costs $3
36:59to4.
37:07Back in the cell [music] block, Marco
37:09starts cooking.
37:12>> Musaka. Musaka is greed and also
37:16volcanian food. It's from potatoes,
37:19mixed meat, broccoli.
37:22The knives in the kitchen are chained
37:24up.
37:28So
37:32when I cook something, I don't have
37:34looking cookbook. Sometimes I you on
37:35YouTube and also see I'm not
37:37professional cook you know but I'll
37:39taste little with this little with this.
37:41It's this things what relax me keep my
37:45head not thinking of stupid things and
37:49it's good it's good.
37:52>> Since he arrived Marco often cooks for
37:54everyone in the corridor. This saves
37:57money when the prisoners [music] pull
37:58their funds for food.
38:03This is my friend.
38:05He will help me a little bit. Machik
38:08Machki, you can do cut this one on
38:11little or you can cut onion.
38:13>> Okay.
38:13>> Okay. So, [snorts] this I will cut the
38:16potatoes. You cut onion on small small
38:18pieces.
38:18>> Okay.
38:18>> Very small piece.
38:21I love this guy. He's crazy totally, but
38:23I love him. [laughter]
38:26>> Prisoner Machek comes from Poland. Their
38:29Eastern European origins connect them,
38:32and friends and allies are hard to find
38:34in prison.
38:41After an hour, [music] the Musaka is
38:43almost ready.
38:50Peace.
38:52>> It is now almost 7:00. The prisoners are
38:55no longer allowed to leave the
38:57corridors. Guard Harper and her
38:59colleague Haldor make their way to the
39:02cell blocks. It's time for the evening
39:04headcount.
39:17We count the prisoners during every
39:19evening shift. This also ensures that
39:22everyone is in the correct corridor.
39:27They do not need a list. The guards know
39:31each prisoner.
39:43>> And they take the time to exchange a few
39:45words with each one. This way they
39:48notice immediately if something is
39:50wrong.
39:58Everyone's here.
40:00>> Everything's fine.
40:03>> They will observe the prisoners via the
40:06cameras for the next few hours.
40:20In the evenings, we often have what we
40:22call collisions in the hallway.
40:25That's simply because the prisoners have
40:27nothing else to do now. They have no
40:29more distractions.
40:32And that also means that they now have a
40:34lot of time to think about how to get a
40:36hold of things they're not allowed to
40:38have.
40:39and they often find a way because they
40:42simply have so much time to think.
40:46>> For Harper and her colleagues, this
40:49means being particularly vigilant right
40:51now
41:04for Marco and his fellow inmates. It's
41:07time for [music] dinner.
41:19Eating together brings a sense of
41:21reassuring normality for everyone at
41:24least for half an hour.
41:36Today, the evening in Iceland's largest
41:38prison is quiet.
41:46At 10:00, it's lights out.
41:57Good night.
42:02>> Some prisoners try everything [music]
42:03they can to gain a few extra minutes
42:06before being locked up in their cramped
42:08cells for the next 10 hours.
42:35Good night.
42:41>> Yeah,
42:42>> everyone's in.
42:43>> Let's check.
42:44>> Yeah,
42:45>> I'll take this side.
42:48Okay.
42:56>> After the two have ensured that all
42:58doors are securely locked, the announced
43:00search begins. The cell's occupant
43:04[music] is spending the night in
43:05solitary confinement. How long he has to
43:08stay there depends on what Harpa and her
43:11colleagues find on him.
43:19Okay.
43:20>> Okay. How are we going to do this?
43:23>> I'll start with the bed.
43:27>> Okay. Then I'll go to the bathroom and
43:30then here.
43:31>> Okay. Let's go.
43:32>> Okay.
43:34>> The guards begin to systematically
43:36search the cell.
43:49This was under his pillow.
43:53>> All I did was lift it up.
43:58>> And Alexander's already found something
43:59too.
44:05>> Possibilities of like acid
44:08acid strips.
44:11After searching for less than five
44:13minutes, the guards have already found a
44:15screwdriver and drugs. And that's not
44:18all.
44:27More drugs and a Wi-Fi router with a
44:30webcam are hidden in the cell.
44:34>> The webcam? Yeah. [laughter]
44:36I don't know how he got it, but he
44:39probably got the router from the
44:40recycling plant.
44:45>> That's where the prisoner works. And
44:47that router isn't the only thing he
44:49smuggled from there into his cell.
44:54>> Look, another one.
44:57>> And another one. [laughter]
45:01>> And here's another one.
45:11Apparently, the prisoner systematically
45:13stole routers from the recycling area.
45:16Harpa suspects that he planned to repair
45:19them and then trade them for drugs. She
45:22and her colleagues find a total of four
45:24routers in the cell.
45:28After these discoveries, she shows no
45:30mercy. They search every inch of the
45:33cell twice.
45:43And they take anything that looks even
45:46remotely suspicious.
45:54Finally, it's time to check the
45:56mattress.
46:05The search took almost an [music] hour.
46:16>> We found lots of things that are not
46:18allowed in prison.
46:20We are now looking at all the items very
46:23carefully.
46:27If there is anything that he is allowed
46:29to have, he will of course get it back.
46:35>> Harpa and her colleagues spend the rest
46:37of their shift checking and documenting
46:39the items they have found.
46:46We have found a lot of things that are
46:48illegal in prison.
46:50The prison management is now reviewing
46:52this and then they will decide how long
46:55the prisoner must remain in solitary
46:57confinement.
47:00>> The inmate has definitely lost his job
47:03at the recycling plant.
47:11Harper's shift ends at midnight.
47:30I'm happy to go home.
47:33>> A new day is about to begin for the
47:35inmates of Iceland's toughest prison.
47:39Shortly after filming ended, inmate
47:41Marco [music] received his sentence. 4
47:44years and 6 months plus a fine of
47:46$35,000.
47:49So, it will be a long time before he
47:52sees his girlfriend and children again.