Inside a Philippine Prison: A Photographer’s Rare Access

Behind Bars: CPDRC, Philippines | Investigate Asia Cebu, Philippines: a city divided between tourists and those struggling to survive. Many encounter gangs, drugs, and violence early, with some ending up at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center. Here, convicts serve sentences while others wait for years in pretrial detention. Day shifts start at seven, and everyone — including staff — is strictly checked. Guards like Cristopher Somoza face murderers, traffickers, and drug smugglers daily. Inmates run their own community, led by Lionel, known as Bosyo, with his bodyguards, the Menaria, enforcing order. Fifty-three women are also imprisoned, some serving long sentences, others waiting years for a verdict. Despite strict separation from male inmates, relationships like Salomeo and Flor’s exist, though physical contact is minimal. Counting procedures are three times daily; any discrepancies lead to strict punishments, including the feared solitary confinement. At night, only five guards oversee nearly a thousand prisoners, leaving them largely to their own devices — until a large-scale raid by a national elite unit exposes shocking realities. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Welcome to Investigate Asia

Behind Bars Taiwan: Taichung Men´s Prison | Investigate Asia The Taichung Men´s Prison is the biggest and toughest prison in Taiwan. It houses four and a half thousand inmates. Among them some of the most dangerous criminals of the whole country. Over a hundred life sentences alone and more than a thousand prisoners are serving sentences of twenty years or more. Monotony, confinement and around the clock video surveillance everywhere dictate the lives of the inmates. Only one time a week the inmates are allowed to spend time on the yard. The prison works with what is known as progressive correctional treatment. This means that prisoners are divided into four levels. The better a prisoner behaves, the higher their level. And this determines, for example, how many packs of cigarettes a prisoner can buy and how often he is allowed to have visitors. The most important thing, however, is that the length of imprisonment is reduced with each level obtained. For most prisoners, this is a good reason to cause as little trouble as possible. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Welcome to

Behind Bars: Philippines - Mandaluyong City, CIW: Locked Up Ladies | Investigate Asia The "Correctional Institution for Women" is the oldest and largest women's prison in the Philippines, founded in nineteen thirty-one. Designed for one thousand PDLs - "persons deprived of liberty" - today there are about three times as many. Prisoners range from petty criminals to drug dealers, from murderers to gang members. The guards are outnumbered. Your best bet at keeping prisoners under control: Strict rules that everyone must adhere to. Over and over again there are checks, to ensure no one has managed to escape. One hundred percent security is impossible! The inmates are allowed to deal with tools, gas-cannisters and knives. All potentially lethal weapons. "The bedrooms and living quarters, the so-called "dorms", are spread over several buildings. Among the inmates are also so-called ‚High Value‘ PDL's‘. A huge compound, full of hardened criminals. In a jail where just a few dozen correction officers watch over several thousand prisoners, who roam freely during the day. For keeping control, the guards even work together with privileged inmates

Behind Bars: Philippines - New Bilibid Prison | Investigate Asia New Bilibid Prison is the main prison in the Philippines. One part of this mega-prison complex is Camp Sampaguita - one of the toughest prisons in the world. Designed to hold one thousand five hundred offenders, currently, there are more than eight thousand incarcerated. That means up to ninety hardened criminals crammed into twenty-five square meter cells, half of them sleeping on the bare ground. Hygienic conditions are catastrophic. Despite to staffing problems, each wing is staffed by just two guards per shift. Two guards for more than two thousand prisoners. To keep things in check, they count the prisoners four times a day. Extremely strict rules apply throughout the prison. Anyone who violates them ends up in so-called Bartolina - isolation detention. The maximum stay is four weeks, with no upper limit. Every week, new inmates arrive, making the situation even worse. One of the new arrivals is thirty-five-year-old Rondell. He has been convicted of attempted murder – an unpremeditated act of jealousy. Rondell was living a normal life

Prison Life: Justice in Japan | Investigate Asia Prison Life: Justice in Japan We gained unprecedented filming access to two Japanese prisons to find out if accusations that the system is inhumane are true. What we witnessed was staggering. Inmates must march to their worksites attached by a cord; they are not allowed to look the guards in the eye; outside of scheduled leisure hours, they must maintain absolute silence, unless they have obtained prior permission to speak. The treatment of suspects in custody pushes many to confess to crimes which they did not commit, as was the case with one man who spent 46 years on death row. He was finally exonerated six years ago, but was left broken. We try to explain why a country which operates on strict principles of balance and order might choose such a repressive system, and see if this may explain Japan having one of the lowest crime rates in the world. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Welcome to Investigate Asia - Explore the diverse landscapes of Asia through in-depth documentaries that delve into the

Prison Drugs Lords | Investigate Asia Drug lords rule the roost at the New Bilibid Prison. A 300-strong multi-agency taskforce assemble outside the prison for a massive raid. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Welcome to Investigate Asia - Explore the diverse landscapes of Asia through in-depth documentaries that delve into the region's politics, economy, culture, and history. From ancient traditions to modern innovations, our content offers a unique perspective on the forces shaping Asia today. Join us on a journey to better understand one of the world’s most dynamic and influential regions. Whether you're a history enthusiast or curious about global affairs, this channel is your gateway to discovering Asia.