The sixth season of the documentary series “Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons” aired today on Netflix.
Episode two of the show named “Cyprus: The Utopian Prison” focuses on the Nicosia central prison.
Contrasting the gang-led, violent prisons shown in other episodes, the Nicosia central prison is portrayed as an example of rehabilitation versus punishment.
The inmates in the prison in Ayios Andreas are seen having bingo nights, creating art, chanting the prison director’s name, and even getting married.
“It once had a fierce reputation for guard brutality. But a now a charismatic new director has taken over, claiming that she has transformed this controversial prison,” series presenter Raphael Rowe says.
In the episode, interviews Phaedon, an armed robber, who tells him of the brutal events of the past when he witnessed a prison suicide.
Rowe himself spent twelve years in prison in the UK after being wrongfully convicted in 1990 for a murder and a series of aggravated robberies.
During his incarceration, Rowe studied journalism and after his release, joined the BBC as a reporter.
Read more:
Watch the trailer for Netflix’s documentary on Cyprus’ Central Prison (video)
