[Raphael Rowe] Kylmäkoski Prison, Finland.
Home to many extremely violent prisoners.
[in Finnish] My brother got killed. So I shot his killer in the head.
…and took the knife from my pocket. Stabbed the guy with it in the neck.
[exhales, chuckles]
[exhales rapidly]
[Rowe in English] Behind the cell doors, the prisoners are in charge.
-[man 1] Do you want some? -[Rowe] No, thank you.
Crazy.
[man 2 in Finnish] Good. It’s coming, it's coming, it's coming. Good.
-[man 1] Is it straight? -[man 2] Yep!
[Rowe in English] When inmates refuse to obey the rules…
Who has the most drugs is the king. I don't know why.
[men laugh]
[Rowe] …and show little remorse for their violent crimes…
What did you do to him?
[in Finnish] Drove over him with a car.
Shot him with a bow.
[Rowe in English] …how does the prison begin to reform them?
I'm going to spend the next week locked up here to find out.
But it's not my first time behind bars.
[hip-hop music playing]
My name is Raphael Rowe.
I was convicted in the UK of a murder I didn't commit
and sentenced to life with no parole.
It took me 12 long years to clear my name.
Now I'm traveling the globe…
-[barks] -…to discover what life is really like
inside the world's toughest prisons.
Finland. A country with one of the highest murder rates in Europe.
[Rowe] It's often said that Finland is the happiest country in the world,
but it does have a dark side with a high rate of violent crime,
often committed by men on the fringes of society,
fueled by drink and drugs.
Dealing with these criminals is a huge challenge for the prison system.
[Rowe] I'm heading to Kylmäkoski Prison in Southern Finland,
where I'll be spending the next week.
[hip-hop music playing]
The Finns have a progressive approach to punishment,
so most prisoners serve community sentences
or are sent to open prisons.
Only the most dangerous, the most serious offenders,
are sent to closed prisons like the one I'm heading to.
And right now, I don't know what to expect.
I'm feeling a little apprehensive. I've got the butterflies in the tummy.
[hip-hop music continues]
[Rowe] In Finland, a key aim of the prison regime
is the personal growth and development of prisoners
rather than punishment.
But crucially for the prisons, which are trying to reform them,
it's not compulsory for prisoners to engage in rehabilitation.
Can rehabilitation really work for the most dangerous prisoners?
Because if they don't want to change, there's nothing a progressive regime
with its liberal approach to rehabilitation can do.
The individuals have to want to change.
[pensive music playing]
It doesn't matter how many times I do this.
I am a little bit apprehensive
about the men that I'm gonna be locked up with.
[pensive music playing]
[dramatic music plays]
[officer 1] We go here.
You can put the jacket on the table.
I will give you a plastic bag where you can put all your clothes.
-Okay. -[officer 1] And we check these.
And then you will get those back.
[Rowe] All right.
[plastic bag rustling]
[officer 1] You can put it here.
[plastic bag rustling]
Show your… Yeah. Good.
You can put on the T-shirt.
Yeah, okay. And then downstairs.
[Rowe] To protect the human rights of prisoners,
Finland doesn't allow routine body cavity searches.
So although up to 90% of new inmates have drug problems,
it's a superficial search.
Do you find a lot of contraband during this process?
Yes. Sometimes, yes. Some drugs or…
What kind of drugs do they try to smuggle in?
Mmm… Subutex.
Sometimes somebody tries to smuggle some cell phone
or something like that.
[officer 1 speaks Finnish]
[Rowe in English] Subutex is used to treat addiction,
but it's an addictive drug in its own right.
Straight to the camera.
[Rowe] Once I'm processed, I'm taken to my wing.
Violent offenders are not segregated from other inmates here.
And I'm being taken to the general population wing 2.1.
[keys jingle]
[indistinct grunts]
[officer speak Finnish]
[inmates speaking Finnish]
-So I'm in here on my own? -[officer 2] Yeah.
What would your advice be to me about the other prisoners out there?
[in Finnish] You should not speak about anything too personal.
And use some common sense.
[in English] What kinds of criminals am I gonna be living with?
[in Finnish] For example, this cell block has various criminals.
Violent offenders, killers,
and a lot of drug-related criminals.
-[Rowe in English] Okay. Thank you. -[officer 2] Thank you.
[tense music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
[Rowe] With 14 cells for 18 prisoners,
some have to share.
The communal area and kitchen are covered by CCTV cameras,
monitored by guards in a control room at the end of the wing.
But there are no cameras in the cells.
And I'm now alone with the inmates.
First impressions. It's so quiet.
It's eerily quiet.
You know, as prisons go, there's no hum, there's no buzz,
there's no hollering and shouting.
Of course, when you're a newbie,
you're gonna be a bit hesitant about who it is out there.
And they will inevitably
want to size you up from the moment you walk out there,
and I've already walked past a couple of really big guys who,
just their appearance, could be quite intimidating.
Um, but look, let me go and find out
what… what's gonna happen to me in the next seven days.
Hello. I'm gonna introduce myself.
-I'm Raphael. -Toni.
-[Rowe] Toni? Nice to meet you, Toni. -Yes.
-I'm Fuzzy. -[Rowe] Fuzzy?
-I'm Raphael. -Welcome.
-[Rowe] Thank you. Nice to meet you. -[Toni] Yeah.
-Yeah-- -[Rowe] Could I meet the other guys?
-I'm Michael. -[Rowe] Hi. Michael?
-Yes. -Hi, Michael. I'm Raphael.
Okay. Welcome.
-[Rowe] Thank you. -Yeah.
How you doing? I'm Raphael.
-I'm Jani. -[Rowe] Jani. Nice to meet you.
Oh, I have plates and cutlery. Okay.
[Toni] Yeah. This is what you need when you're starting here.
-[Rowe] Okay. -You get the stuff back--
[Rowe] Jani and the big guy Toni seem pretty friendly,
but they could easily be intimidating to new inmates,
especially back in the cells where the guards can't see.
Do they give everybody these things?
-That's for the-- -[Jani] Yes.
-[Toni] Yeah. -[Rowe] Okay. Okay.
Tell me about the rules here in the block.
Just be yourself and don't mind other business.
When someone comes here, if we don't know each other, you know,
I ask him why you here, you know.
-[Rowe] What's your crime? What'd you do? -[Toni] Yeah. Of course.
Why? Why… Why does that matter?
[Toni] If you're some sexual--
-[Jani] Sexual offender. -[Toni] Or something… Pedophile.
-[Jani] You get knocked the fuck out. -[laughing] Yeah. Straight.
[Rowe] Is there someone in charge of this wing?
Do I need to know whether anybody deserves more respect than others?
No. Nothing like that.
Mind your own business and be yourself. It's enough.
[Toni] Yeah.
[dramatic swell]
[Jani] Let's go, let's go.
[Jani exhales]
[speaking Finnish]
[Rowe] Toni, big guy, young but big,
in the vest, lots of tattoos,
and Jani, they welcomed me, but I think
if you were somebody that they would have taken a disliking to straight away,
um, anything could have happened.
You're in the cell on your own. The guards are long gone.
So that is the constant reminder
that at the, you know, flick of somebody's mood,
violence could erupt.
[tense music playing]
[dramatic music plays]
[lock clicks]
[Rowe] Cells are unlocked here at 7:00 am.
[Rowe] This porridge isn't the worst thing you could have in the morning, eh, Jani?
No, of course.
[Rowe] Some inmates, like Jani, have jobs and activities in the prison,
and they head off early.
But others choose just to stay on the wing.
They're not taking advantage of the projects on offer,
so I want to see if they're using their time constructively.
[Rowe] I said I feel like a skinny kid among you lot.
[Rowe] But they want to see what the new guy's made of in the gym.
-Little warm-up. -[weight slams]
Yeah, enjoy.
[chuckles] Join.
[indistinct chatter]
-[Toni] One. Five times. -[Rowe] No.
-You know the technique, yeah? -[Rowe] Well, I…
-Okay. -[Toni] Yeah?
[Rowe grunts]
Yes, very good. Five times.
-[Rowe grunting] -Okay. Three more.
Two.
Good. One.
[exhales]
Yeah. Last one.
Little up. Good.
And you call that a warm-up?
[Toni] No, it's… A little warm-up.
Oh, man.
How much weight was on there?
-Now? Seventy. -[Rowe] Seventy?
-[Toni] Yeah. -And how much can you lift?
-Uh, 220, I think. -[Rowe] Jeez.
[man in Finnish] Good. It’s coming, it's coming, it's coming. Good!
-[Toni] Is it straight? -Yep!
[in English] Well done.
[grunting]
[Rowe] So far, Toni's been very welcoming,
but I wouldn't wanna get on the wrong side of him
or his cellmate, Olli.
-[Olli grunts] -[Toni chuckles]
[Rowe] That is really hard. Really hard. Look, he can't even walk.
[Rowe] They tell me they were arrested together
around two years ago after a car chase with the police.
What were you doing when they tried to catch you?
-Kidnapping. -You were kidnapping someone?
Yes. We were collecting some debt, you know.
[Rowe] Debt collectors?
Well, that explains a lot about why you're so big.
[Toni] No, it's not my job. [chuckles]
[Rowe] Okay.
But it was a long-time debt, you know. And this guy said to me, like,
"Kiss my ass. I won't pay you anything. You are a fucking asshole, and…"
Why didn't you go to the police?
[chuckles]
-[Rowe] That's what most people do, innit? -I go to the police to get a passport.
But nothing else.
So you… you kidnapped him from his home?
[Toni] Yeah. No, his friend's home.
With a gun?
Yeah. I don't… Did we have a gun?
-Maybe. Maybe not. -[Toni chuckles] Yeah.
I don't remember. It was two years ago.
Just remind me not to borrow anything off you in the block, okay?
[laughs] No, no, no, no.
[Rowe] I don't wanna get in debt with you.
So, if you give me a packet of biscuits, I will pay them back, okay?
-[keys jingling] -[door unlocks]
[door opens]
[officer] Okay.
[Rowe] If inmates don't work or go to school in the prison,
then after an hour, it's back to the wing for the rest of the day.
[pensive music playing]
Toni and Olli seem like the alphas on 2.1,
and I want to find out more about their background.
But first, Toni's keen to talk to me about his career as a rapper.
[Toni] C8 Superman.
[Rowe] And is that you?
[Rowe] Yeah, C8, you know, my rap artist name.
[Rowe] What does C8 stand for?
[Toni in Finnish] It's like when you say it in Finnish,
"C8," "messed up," kind of.
[Finnish hip-hop music playing]
Everyone is waving around some real guns
and showing drugs in music videos,
so this kind of parodies that aspect.
[Rowe in English] So you made this as a spoof video?
[Toni in Finnish] I don’t claim to be any kind of gangster or anything,
but even if you are one,
you don’t have to say it out loud to everybody.
♪ At times a straight-edge life I can't be bothered being afraid… ♪
[Rowe in English] Toni may claim he's no gangster,
but the violent kidnapping they carried out
is a truly shocking crime.
What did you do to him?
[in Finnish] What did we do to him?
[Olli] A bit of everything.
But do we need to go into details like that?
[Toni] We took him to my home in Tampere,
and then we tied him to a metallic table
with metal zip ties by his arms and legs.
We smashed his finger joints
and legs and feet with a hammer.
Drove over him with a car,
shot him with a bow,
and things like that.
But I think most of it was mental violence,
humiliation, and subjugation.
[Rowe in English] Why did you feel it was necessary to inflict
the torture that you did?
[in Finnish] Maybe it was the mix of the anger and excitement.
At that time,
it just felt like it needed to be done.
[pensive music playing]
[Rowe in English] Toni and Olli to have been involved
in something so serious as kidnapping, torture.
I've been slightly taken aback by the lack of remorse.
And I don't know whether that's guys just pushing out their chests
and pretending to be tough guys.
The guys that I've got to know have not shown any real remorse or regret.
Not openly. Not yet.
[pensive music continues]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Rowe] After releasing the inmates at 7:00 am,
the guards retreat back to their control room.
[pensive music playing]
Inmates can decide whether or not to take up the many opportunities
to work or study that the prison provides.
And this morning, once again, some choose not to.
[buzzing]
[Rowe] What's OG stand for? Original gangster?
[Toni] Yeah.
[inmate in Finnish] Is it sticking okay?
[Toni] Sticks are fairly okay.
[in English] Crazy.
[Toni] Do you want some?
-[Rowe] Tattoo? -[Toni] Yes.
[Rowe] No, thank you.
[Rowe] Toni's using a tattoo gun
they made from a pen and an Xbox controller.
[Rowe] Now, what is… what is the ink coming from?
[Toni in Finnish] We melt the disposable razors
and take the soot from it.
[in English] What would happen if the guards came in
and saw you doing this?
[in Finnish] Uh, isolation.
-[in English] Alone time, you know. -[Rowe] Isolation.
Uh-huh.
Okay, the guards, won't they notice that you've got a new tattoo?
[Toni] He has too many tattoos, you know.
[in Finnish] I don’t think they’ll notice I have a new tattoo.
[Toni] It's done. Yeah. Yep, turn the machine off.
[Rowe in English] Job done?
[Toni] Yeah.
[tense music playing]
[Rowe] Although some on 2.1 seem to spend all day around their cells,
there are educational programs on offer,
and just over half the inmates here do prison jobs.
Some even learn how to make jewelry.
Today, I'll be joining my wingmate, Jani.
-Going now to where? The workshop? -The workshop, yeah.
And this is where you go every day?
[Jani] Every day.
[indistinct chatter]
[Rowe] I knew Jani had a job, but I'm a bit surprised to learn
he's become an expert at making traditional Finnish rugs,
for which the prison pays him 100 euros a month.
[clanking]
Hey, come here. We're doing a simple thing.
-[Rowe] Right. Yeah, keep it very simple. -[Jani] And the one… Very simple.
[Rowe] Jani's learned to use this loom over six stints in prison,
and he's currently halfway through another four-year sentence.
-Now, now change. -[Rowe] Change.
[Jani] It's two.
-[Rowe] To one? -[Jani] To one.
-Yeah. -[Rowe] Then, boom, boom, boom?
[Jani] Yeah, three times.
[Jani laughs]
-You've got power, man. [laughs] -[Rowe] Am I gonna break the machine?
[Jani] No, no, no.
I can't believe that you've been back and out and back and out so many times.
Why do you end up going out and coming back?
It's a lifestyle. The lifestyle I've been living.
And what is the lifestyle that you live outside then?
[Jani] Drugs and violence.
-[Rowe] Drugs and violence? -[Jani] Yeah.
-Selling drugs. You know. -Right.
Usual shit. [chuckles]
[Rowe] Boom, boom, boom.
[Jani laughs]
So what's your drug of choice?
Cocaine. Amphetamine.
Cocaine and amphetamine.
So what are you in prison for now?
-[Jani] In for violence. -[Rowe] You're in for violence?
-Yeah. -[Rowe] What… What did you do?
I stabbed a man. It was a knife fight.
I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
-Wrong place, wrong time. -Nothing special.
Just wrong place, wrong time.
[Rowe] And what happened to the guy that you stabbed?
[sighs] Thank God he's not dead, but…
[Rowe] That's a good sign, at least,
that you're… you're showing a sign of remorse and regret there.
[Jani] Yeah.
And when this is coming forward, you have to move it like this.
[Rowe] Ah.
-[Jani] This keeps the shape, you know. -[Rowe] Okay.
-[Jani] So it doesn't go like this. -[Rowe] Okay.
It… It… It bothers me that you're someone
who's been here, got out, been here, got out, been here, got out,
so the rehabilitation, the helping people like you--
Yeah, they're helping if you want their help.
And the same instructor has been here all this time?
She has been here, yeah.
[Rowe] You must be sick and tired
of seeing him come back every time he gets out.
[in Finnish] Yes, I hope he is not coming back.
-He has everything in good order now. -[Jani] Yeah.
[in English] You seem to have a good relationship.
[Jani] We have a good relationship. We speak about everything.
Girls, drugs, everything.
Okay. How does it help you?
I don't know. It's… It's good. It's good to talk about it.
There's too much testosterone in the section. [laughs]
Yeah. Yeah, I suppose. I suppose so.
[Jani] Yeah.
Now that I've been here for two years, I've been making progress in my brain.
This is like therapy to me. I see my work going forward, you know.
-[Rowe] Okay. You finish, yeah? -[Jani] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[Rowe] Even though it's taken multiple prison sentences to get here,
Jani seems finally to be making positive changes in his life.
And escaping the macho culture of the wing every day
also seems to be helping.
[tense music playing]
Back on 2.1, the whole wing is on edge.
Okay, okay. Stop!
[Rowe] I hear a rumor that Toni has just attacked a new inmate,
who's now been taken to another wing.
-He'd just come to the prison? -[Toni] Yeah.
-And you punched him? -[Toni] Yeah.
In his cell. You know.
-[Rowe] Oh, you went into his cell? -[Toni] Yeah.
[Rowe] Oh, okay.
Because there are cameras, you know, everywhere.
[Rowe] Oh, okay.
[indistinct chatter]
And why did you punch him?
Because he…
Uh…
A couple of years ago, uh, he snitched.
[Rowe] He snitched about what?
[Toni] Uh, for drugs.
[Rowe] And this was your revenge?
[Toni] Yeah.
I… I can't, you know, live with, uh, people like that.
My dogs, you know, will laugh at me if I go home and I do nothing.
How badly was he hurt?
[Toni] I don't know.
[sizzling]
[Rowe] Toni's cellmate, Olli,
was also on the wing when the incident happened.
[Rowe] Toni was just telling me about the…
Yeah.
Yeah, but he has to do it.
-Does he? -[Olli] Yeah.
[Rowe] The guards don't know about it though?
[Olli] No.
Not yet.
-Do you think either guy will tell them? -[Olli] I don't think so.
I saw it when he went into the room with the guard.
I… I don't think he will be telling anything.
-Yeah. -How does it taste?
Very nice. Thank you very much. Very nice.
-Thank you. -Not a problem.
[Rowe] Because the guards have not seen what happened,
Toni goes unpunished.
I'm concerned that if prisoners like Toni
still resort to violence to solve their problems,
they're not really changing their ways.
[tense music playing]
[dramatic music plays]
The guys have been banged up all night, you know.
Toni and Olli have not come out of their cell yet.
Jani's his usual self, buzzing around.
He seems to always have a spring in his step first thing.
[Rowe] Jani's focus on the prison's work program
does seem to be helping him shift away from drugs and violence
and making him a happier man.
But it's not just work that gets him out of bed.
[Jani] I get an email every morning from my girlfriend.
Oh, so it goes… it goes to the office?
-The guards? -Yeah, the guards.
She said put your TV on
because she’s going to update my, you know, sports channel. [laughs]
[Rowe] Is this a long-term girlfriend?
No, no, no. We met in here.
Uh, I was in here.
She came to a blind date with me. [laughs]
[Rowe] How… How did you meet her in here?
Um, my friend, how'd you say?
-Oh, he introduced you. -[Jani] Introduced me. Yeah.
[Rowe] Jani's new relationship is clearly an added motivation
for him to stick with the rehabilitation on offer here.
But not everyone on 2.1 has made the same progress as he has.
[indistinct chattering]
[Michael] Bring some food. Really fucking shit.
This is dog food.
[Rowe] Michael, not his real name,
is my cell neighbor. He's 18.
He doesn't work and spends a lot of time on his own in his cell.
Today he seems troubled.
[in Finnish] I'm not, like, depressed but somehow, fuck,
being here in prison frustrates you and you want to feel better.
[Rowe in English] Most of the guys have gone out on exercise this morning.
Why have you not gone out and got some fresh air
and used that as a way
of kind of releasing some tension and…
[in Finnish] I do go out usually every day.
[in English] Just not feeling up to it today, yeah?
[in Finnish] I don’t know. I feel a bit restless today,
and I can’t stay here.
[in English] Sorry, I have to go smoke cigarettes.
Okay. [chuckles]
[Rowe] Michael tends to retreat to his cell
for hours at a time during the day.
I don't yet know what he's locked up for or what issues he's dealing with.
-Ah. -[Michael] What's up?
-How you doing? -[Michael] Good.
Do you wanna have a chat?
[Michael] Yeah. Great. Come.
Come here and talk.
-I come in? Okay. -[Michael] Welcome. Yeah.
[Rowe] How you feeling now? 'Cause earlier on you were feeling a bit…
[Michael] Um…
Good.
What… What are you in prison for? Why are you here?
[in Finnish] I ran away from this children's home
and went over to Tampere,
where I was homeless and doing drugs and looking for drugs.
I got into a situation at Tampere where two around 40-year-old junkies
accused me of stealing their speed stash,
and the guy said to me
that I had three seconds to give the drugs back
or he'd smash my teeth in with a baseball bat.
After that, fuck, I just kind of lost it
and took the knife from my pocket, and I stabbed the guy with it in the neck.
And then the other guy came and fucking pushed me,
and held his hands someway like this,
then I fucking stabbed him twice,
like, here and here.
[in English] But you were only a kid.
Have you had any help while you've been in the prison
to understand the gravity of such a, um…
a violent crime?
[in Finnish] I have visited the rehabilitation worker here
and psychologist, and yes, it has helped me.
[Rowe in English] And any of your family, do they come to visit you?
[in Finnish] It's been… Damn, it's been a long time since anyone came to visit me.
I don't know if I even need visits. I'm doing well here.
This is a good cell block. There is a good group here,
and I have friends here, and… it's nice to be here.
[somber music playing]
[Rowe in English] One of the victims tragically died
as a result of Michael's violent attack.
Due to his age, Michael was ordered to serve
just two and a half years of his sentence for manslaughter.
So the prison system only has a few months left
to work with him.
All inmates are locked up for over 14 hours a day,
but Michael often stays in his cell, even when he has the choice,
and he seems very isolated.
An 18-year-old kid is being banged up in a cell
in an adult prison from 4:40 in the afternoon
until seven o'clock tomorrow morning.
Is that rehabilitation? Is that punishment?
I did this. I did this myself,
being banged up in a cell in broad daylight,
and it does psychological damage.
Now they have him. They've got to do something with him.
I mean, no matter what he's done,
at such a young age, he's still salvageable.
KYLMÄKOSKI PRISON
[unsettling music playing]
[music fades]
[dramatic music plays]
[Rowe] I've two days left at Kylmäkoski Prison.
I've come across one prisoner who, just like Michael,
committed serious acts of violence when he was still a teenager.
-I'm Raphael. -I'm Leif.
-What's your name? Leif. -Leif.
[Rowe] Now at the age of nearly 50,
Leif is finally committing to a program of regular counseling at the prison.
[Rowe] How many times have you been to prison?
[in Finnish] Uh, 11 times in Finland,
six times in Sweden,
two times in Denmark, and one time in Norway.
[Rowe in English] Leif says he's part of Finland's Roma-Gypsy community.
He's spent 23 years in prison,
convicted of multiple violent crimes,
including two murders.
[in Finnish] I have grown up in institutions.
And I ended up in prison when I was 15 years old.
Then my brother got killed. So I shot his killer in the head.
It was revenge.
[in English] What drove your violence when you were outside then?
[in Finnish] If there is a Romany family with which there is hatred,
if you don't get away from that situation, then things can go very bad.
And it is in these times today when everyone has guns.
Then it happens so suddenly. They try to take your life immediately.
And I haven’t wanted to receive help before.
[in English] Why now and not in the past?
[in Finnish] I used to use so many heavy drugs in the past.
But now, during this sentence,
I have had conversations
with Hanna all the time.
[pensive music playing]
[Rowe in English] Since Leif got clean of drugs,
he's been having regular sessions with Hanna,
the prison's special counselor for violent offenders.
[Hanna in Finnish] Do you have any thoughts about what kind of place
that rehabilitation center should be in an ideal case?
A Christian substance abuse rehab center would be the best.
-[Hanna] There would be some spirituality. -Yes.
[in English] Most of the prisoners you work with
are violent offenders like Leif.
Behind that violence is drugs or alcohol?
Almost always, or, uh, just like,
they have lived a very rough life.
They have had issues in family, or a lot of them have been in foster care,
or they have been in institutions,
and, um, they have been mistreated in their childhood.
Nobody just lives a normal life and then decides that
now I wanna start doing crimes and beating people up.
[Rowe] Hanna believes the Finnish school system
also alienates some young men.
[Hanna] When I was a kid in the '90s,
I remember very clearly that these, um, wild, disruptive boys,
especially, they were often disciplined.
They got into trouble. They were belittled.
And I think Finnish society, uh, prefers, like, calm and composed behavior,
and everything aside from that is disruptive.
And, like, it was a clear sign of "You are trouble."
[Rowe] Right. Is it mandatory for the prisoners with violent tendencies
to come to see someone like you?
[Hanna] There is enough prisoners who want to come here voluntarily,
so my schedule is just full of those people.
[Rowe] So, Leif, coming here, participating in this session,
how does it help you?
[Leif in Finnish] It is possible to talk about everything with you.
I don’t have to lie about anything
or about how I feel and where I need help.
And I know that these conversations are only between you and me.
[Rowe in English] Hanna seems to be doing great work,
but she's the prison's only violence counselor.
And it's left to the inmates to choose if they wish to seek her help.
[inaudible conversation]
This is a place where they have these men captive
and could point, push, or show them the right path or opportunity.
I'm just not seeing it here.
Rehabilitation here falls on the prisoners themselves.
They have to make all the decisions about whether or not,
in their minds, they have changed.
Nothing is changing them.
[dramatic swell]
[Rowe] Leif and most of the other inmates I've met
have said drug abuse drove their violent crime.
So I want to find out if prisoners
can still access drugs inside this prison.
Because if they can, that will impact their ability to reform.
[Rowe] You have a lot of influence on the wing, right?
You have a lot of respect?
[Olli] Normal.
[Rowe] If I wanted to smoke weed or I wanted amphetamines or--
Is it easy to get here?
-[Toni] Yeah. -[Rowe] It is?
-Yes. You want? -[Rowe] Good or…
Do I want?
[Toni laughs]
Are the guards tough on drugs? Do they come and look for it all the time?
Do they search the place? They're always trying to stop it?
When we're out, when we are at the gym. Uh, like that.
[Rowe] They search your cell when you're not there?
Yeah.
So what drugs do they find? What drugs are normally found?
Normally they don't find anything.
-[Rowe] They don't find anything? -[Toni] Yeah.
Like three, uh, milligrams of Subutex.
Is that the main drug? Subutex?
Yeah, it's, like, popular Finnish, uh, prison drugs.
Okay.
What… What does it do? I… I've never used it.
It's not good. You know, first time, ugh, you know,
and for two days, very bad feeling.
But after that, you know,
you get more energy and…
You see people's eyes here who have really small pupils, you know.
Uh-huh.
Yeah. [laughs]
-[Rowe] Okay. -[chuckles]
So that's the telltale sign, little pupils.
Yeah.
[tense music playing]
[Rowe] As with most prisons,
illegal drugs are at the heart of arguments
and intimidation between prisoners.
Things here got so bad for one inmate on my wing
that he asked to be moved to a safer wing.
[Rowe] How you doing, man?
Do you fancy a game?
-Sure. One. Yeah, that's fine. -[Rowe] Can I take this bat?
[Rowe] His name is Antti, and he's now staying on a protection wing
for his own safety.
But the prisoners call it something different.
The guys described it to me as the lizard wing.
-I know that's not-- -Yeah. That's the word they use. Yeah.
[Rowe] What do they mean by that?
Sex offenders. People that are snitches.
So why are you here?
It was about me and my situation
that, you know, I could've helped those guys with the drugs,
but I chose not to.
What do you mean help those guys with the drugs?
[Antti] Yeah, well, I have my conjugals going.
And, you know, they wanted me to help them on with that,
so that my wife could bring a package here, shit like that.
-I can't put her in that situation. -[Rowe] No.
'Cause they were calling my wife outside,
you know, and I didn't know, asking her to do that.
And, yeah, that's why I got so… Really mad at them.
We had a little fight, and I had to go.
When you were put under the pressure that you were being put under in 2.1,
were you scared?
Scared?
Shit, of course. Those guys, they are like me.
They can do whatever comes into their head.
They have no inhibitions.
I wanna get out someday, you know. I don't wanna kill anyone here.
And I don't wanna get killed by anyone here.
But prisons used to be different.
Nowadays,
nobody… nobody follows the rules anymore.
It's like they make up the rules as they go.
You know, who has the most drugs is the king. I don't know why.
-[Rowe] Mm-hmm. -Yeah.
[Rowe] Mm-hmm.
[tense music playing]
One of the biggest challenges for… for the prison authorities
is keeping drugs out of the prison.
But when you do get drugs in here, you create a… a black market.
It also creates a hierarchy, you know,
those who control the drugs control the prison.
Therefore, they can call the shots. And that's extremely dangerous.
[dramatic music playing]
[Rowe] It's my final day on wing 2.1.
-[Rowe] How you doing? You good? -Yeah, I'm good.
[Rowe] I catch up with Jani.
He's got two years left to serve, but he's planning for the future.
Of all the guys on 2.1,
he's one of the most engaged with the rehab programs here.
[Rowe] I really want to know,
because you've struck me as being a nice guy,
what are you gonna do when you get out?
Ah, I'm going to live with my girlfriend.
I have a job and a house, and all things are ready. [clicks tongue]
-[Rowe] That's a good sign. -Yeah. Real good.
It's different this time because before it hasn't been like this.
I have a family meeting in two weeks.
-That will be your first family meeting. -First. Yeah.
-[Rowe] Conjugal visit. -Conjugal visit.
-[Rowe] So you can be more intimate. -[clicks tongue] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then in two months, I have my first holiday.
[Rowe] So there's a lot to look forward to.
A lot. A lot of good things.
-Good luck. I hope that works for you. -Thank you.
[Rowe] Thank you, man.
[Rowe] Jani's relationship, combined with a solid plan for when he's released,
is helping him stay committed to the rehab process.
[birds chirping]
Toni's getting out in less than a month.
Despite his lack of engagement with the prison regime,
I want to know if prison has changed him.
[in Finnish] I see that this is who I am.
I’m how one should be.
I’m good to good people and very bad to bad people.
I don’t think I am a full-time gangster in any way.
It was just a weekend that happened, and now I’m doing prison time for it.
-[Rowe in English] What's next for Toni? -[Toni sighs]
[Toni in Finnish] So the aim would be that me and Olli,
we’ve been planning a business so we could run it.
I’m becoming a father in the summer.
And I want to be a good dad to my children.
I want to do music when I have time for it.
I do not intend to come back here.
[Rowe in English] From what I've seen, many prisoners don't really change
until they've spent many years locked up.
In Finland, as a whole, 57% of violent offenders
do go on to commit further crimes within five years of release.
So is their philosophy, where prisoners take responsibility
for their own rehabilitation,
really the right one?
I've come to speak to Prison Director Harri Ramö.
This prison houses many violent repeat offenders,
and rehabilitation is an important element of reducing reoffending.
There are some guys who need their hands held.
As the governor of this prison,
how well does that work, in your opinion?
[in Finnish] The key point is that we view prisoners…
We view human beings as human beings.
Our starting point is that
we truly try to rehabilitate every prisoner.
So they can live their lives in society without drugs and crime.
I believe that if you’re motivated and want to be rehabilitated,
Kylmäkoski prison and Finland’s prison system
will give you the tools and opportunity to do it.
But it’s up to you. It starts with you.
[in English] If you could bring anything to the prison,
if you had the power to bring anything to the prison to help
aid the rehabilitation and reforms that you offer here,
what would it be?
[in Finnish] We have had just one
violence counselor now for two years,
and I would say we need two or three more of them.
Restorative justice projects are, in my opinion, one of the things
that should be brought into prisons more.
[Rowe in English] There are drugs in the prison.
How challenging is it in this prison
to… to reach that kind of zero policy that you would probably like to be at?
[in Finnish] Yes, we can’t make this place airtight.
In my view, there are two main things
that affect this problem.
One is preventing supply,
thanks to the control work we do here.
And the other is preventing demand,
and that’s rehabilitation, work activities,
giving them other things to think about than just drugs.
We adhere to our values.
Respect for human dignity,
justice, faith in one’s ability to grow and develop.
My belief is that many of the prisoners
have a sincere desire to be drug and crime-free,
but it’s not easy, and it requires you to be highly motivated.
[door unlocking]
[in English] I thought you are supposed to go away.
-[Rowe] No, you were letting me out. -Yeah. I let you in.
Most of the men I've met here are violent repeat offenders,
who many would argue deserve to be locked up.
But in my opinion, you can't just house prisoners,
you have to reform them.
Some are being rehabilitated,
and there's some good work being done here.
But for the most violent offenders with drug addictions,
the prison has to be doing more.
[pensive music playing]
[music continues]
[music fades]