[Rowe] Rove Central Correctional Center, Solomon Islands.
[dramatic swell]
Home to the country's most dangerous sexual offenders.
I wish they forgive me.
[Rowe] And killers.
Why did you kill your ten-year-old son?
I cannot control my anger.
Twenty times I cut her like this.
[Rowe] The prison is severely short of cash.
[Rowe] Conditions are fucking bad.
It's dark. It's dingy.
It is not good for a human being, man.
[Rowe] Concrete cage. That's all this place is.
[Rowe] And they're relying on the church to reform these hardened criminals.
I must discern what is right and what is wrong.
Thank you that I am saved in you, Lord.
[Rowe] I'll be spending a week locked up at Rove
to find out whether religion really is the answer.
But it's not my first time behind bars.
My name is Raphael Rowe.
I was convicted in the UK of a murder I did not commit
and sentenced to life with no parole.
It took me 12 long years to clear my name.
Now I'm traveling the globe
-to discover what life is really like… -[barks]
…inside some of the world's toughest prisons.
[lock clicks]
[pensive music playing]
Solomon Islands in the remote Pacific Ocean.
Home to over 700,000 people
who, on average, live on just six dollars a day.
The country's only maximum-security prison
has an ambitious aim
to reform extremely serious offenders
on a tiny budget.
-[dramatic music playing] -[sirens wailing]
[Rowe] I'm now in the back of a prison van on my way to Rove Correctional Center.
The prison holds some of the country's most violent offenders.
There are murderers, robbery, theft.
A high proportion of the prisoners,
I'm told, are in this prison for violent sexual offenses
against women and young girls,
something that I find really difficult to deal with.
The prison… is trying to rehabilitate the offenders,
that's what I'm told, but they have limited financial resources
at their disposal to do that.
Just being able to… to look outside,
I'm seeing a lot of extreme poverty,
and if they can't invest in their communities,
what is the prison gonna be like?
[eerie music playing]
I'm going into the belly of the beast.
[lock clicks]
[Rowe] I'm searched the moment I arrive inside the prison.
[guard 1] Spread your legs.
Just checking you for any contraband like sharps or something.
Just small sharps like knives or something.
[Rowe] Oh, right. You find knives?
-Blades. Yeah. -[Rowe] Blades?
[Rowe] Before I'm taken to the wing, I'm issued with some basic supplies.
[guard 2] Release the cuffs.
[Rowe] That's a relief because these really hurt.
This is my bed mat, is it?
Yes. This is your bed mat.
-And this? -[guard 3] Your blanket.
-This is my blanket. -[guard 3] Your blanket.
-[Rowe] This is a towel. -A towel.
-And my pillow. -[guard 3] Your pillow.
[Rowe] In 2008, Rove was rechristened
as a correctional center rather than a prison
with a new philosophy of reform rather than punishment.
But the sheer lack of cash is plain to see,
and I wonder just how much rehabilitation
is actually happening.
I'm now on my way to… I think it's called Echo Wing.
[indistinct chatter]
Right now, I can smell something really horrible.
It's the sweetness of just hot sun mixed with this whiff of urine.
The physical appearance of this place
is… is that it's quite unkept.
The guard obviously wants to move me on quite quickly.
[pensive music playing]
Now this is a dark place.
[Rowe] I'll be sharing a cell with three other prisoners.
[keys jingling]
[guard 4] This is A wing.
-[Rowe] This is A wing? -[guard 4] Yes.
[Rowe] Hello.
[man] Hello. Nice to meet you.
-How are you doing? -Fine.
-I'm Raphael. -Hello. My name is Frank.
-Frank? Frank. -Yeah.
[Rowe] Nice to meet you. Where do I put this?
[Frank] You can place your bed up here.
-[Rowe] Up here? -[Frank] Yeah.
-Okay. -[Frank] That's your place.
[Rowe] Which one is your space?
Uh, this is my space.
-Oh, down there? -[Frank] Yeah.
And this space belongs to Mr. Alessio.
[Rowe] Alessio. Okay.
And, uh, this place belongs to Mr. Junior.
-[Rowe] Oh, okay. -[Frank laughs]
So this is the cell for four men, including me, and these are the beds?
This one and these up here?
[Frank] Yeah.
[Rowe] Oh, wow.
Did it take you time to get used to sleeping on this?
Yeah. For our first time, it was quite hard.
And now?
We must practice to accept it.
Maybe you'll get used to this mattress.
[both laugh]
-[Rowe] Who did the drawings on the wall? -[Frank] Yeah.
Oh, Mr. Alessio is the one who did.
And what about activities?
You look like a strong guy. Is there a gym here?
[Alessio] No.
-[Rowe] They don't have any weights? -They don't have any weights.
-[Rowe] Nothing like that in the prison? -No.
[Rowe] And this is your bathroom?
[Frank] Yep. That is the bathroom.
[Rowe] Okay.
-Like, here you flush. -[toilet flushes]
[Rowe] All right.
-[indistinct chatter] -[Frank chuckles]
[Rowe] And do they have showers here where if you--
You need the shower place for shower. It's outside.
You can show me it. Okay.
Just shoot it.
-Yeah, that's a homemade shower. -[Frank laughs] Yeah, homemade shower.
[Rowe] Okay.
[Rowe] The last stop on my tour of the wing is a small outside space.
That's nice. That's a nice background.
-At least that's freedom, right? -[laughs]
Oh, yeah.
That's it.
-This is it. This is your existence. -Yeah.
-The cell, the corridor-- -Yeah. Corridor and this.
[Rowe] The inmates on my wing seem to be just killing time
as the hours go by until evening roll call.
-[guard] Okay. Good afternoon. -[guard speaks Pidgin]
[inmates speak Pidgin]
[guard] Thank you.
-Raphael Rowe? -Yes, sir.
-[guard] Alessio. -Yes, sir.
-[guard] Frank Firimolea. -Sup.
[guard speaks in Pidgin]
[inmates speak in Pidgin]
-That's it. Introduce. -[Alessio] Okay.
[in Pidgin] This brother is going to introduce himself. He's our friend.
[in English] My name is Raphael Rowe.
Thank you for welcoming me.
[inmates clapping]
We're just going to say Lord's prayer, okay?
-[Rowe] Everybody? -Yeah, everybody.
[Rowe] Even if you're not religious?
No, no, no. If you're willing.
[inmates praying] Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be Thy name…
[Rowe] Around 90% of Solomon Islanders are Christian,
and faith seems to be very strong here in the prison too.
…our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
[Rowe] All these prisoners seemed like firm believers.
[inmates] …Amen.
[Frankie] We have three leaders, like,
one wing rep, one chief, and one spiritual leader.
Okay.
[Frankie] The one that started the prayer.
He's the spiritual leader if you want to go meet him.
[Rowe] Okay. Hello sir.
Nice to meet you, and you're the spiritual leader here.
And what's your responsibilities as a spiritual leader?
I'm trying my best to bring the boys
to come closer to God
and continue to… to reflect on the scripture… Bible.
[inmate whistles]
Share with them.
Okay. And why do you take on that responsibility?
Because I'm brought up in a Christian family.
And what did you do to end up in prison?
I was caught with one count of rape.
-[Rowe] One count of rape. -Yeah.
[Rowe] And you've got how long for that?
Three years.
-And are you remorseful? -[leader] Hmm?
-Do you regret the crime you did? You do? -[leader] Yes. Yes.
I didn't really mean to do that crime.
It was really a mistake.
Influenced by alcohol.
You were influenced by alcohol?
-First time you've done that? -Mm-hmm, that was my first time.
Then I got here.
I try my best to become a new person when I leave this place.
[dramatic music plays]
[Rowe] Everyone's welcomed me with open arms here,
but it's still a daunting place to be.
[dramatic sting]
[exhales]
[Rowe] My first impression, conditions are fucking bad.
It's dark. It's dingy. It smells.
The spiritual leader who guides these guys is a rapist.
He talked openly about raping a woman under the influence of alcohol.
It's gonna be a tough week.
That's for sure.
[dramatic music plays]
[pensive music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
[inmates laughing]
[Rowe] It's my first morning at Rove.
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct chatter continues]
-Can you assist me here? -Okay.
So I'm just watching the lane?
[Rowe] It's good to see there's at least some activity here today.
[Rowe] That's clearly out.
-[Rowe] A wing volleyball game. -[indistinct chatter]
[inmates laughing]
-[indistinct chatter] -[inmate whistles]
Eleven, five.
[guard] Eleven, five.
[Rowe] It's a chance for these guys to release some of the pent-up energy
from all of those hours cooped up on the wing.
[guard] He's okay. Yeah.
[indistinct yells]
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct yells, cheering]
[Rowe] After the game, one of the longest-serving guards, Peter,
offers to show me around the rest of the prison.
In the past, there have been programs at Rove
for prisoners to learn carpentry, baking, and sewing.
[Rowe] And what's this all down here then?
-First one here is the bakery. -[Rowe] Yeah.
The other one is the, uh, classroom and the tailor room.
[Rowe] The bakery has broken down.
The tailors had to close during Covid
and is yet to reopen.
[pensive music playing]
Other programs for prisoners have been suspended too.
Is there much rehabilitation here?
Uh, actually, not really much, but we are trying.
We are trying our best.
[Rowe] What's this block here?
That's the, uh, block for managing bad behavior prisoners and--
-That's the segregation unit? -Yes.
[Peter] The unsound-minded are also kept in there.
-[Rowe] Unsound-minded. -[Peter] Yeah.
[Rowe] With no money for proper health care,
mentally ill inmates are held together
with prisoners who are being punished.
[Rowe] So I'm just coming to what they call their segregation block.
Prisoners are just
hanging around.
Um, this feels like a very dirty,
um, oppressed place.
[Rowe] As far as I can see right now,
there are very few facilities or staff here
to help or care for these prisoners.
[Rowe] You know, they've got their washing hanging up.
They got their rugs and mats and blankets.
No mattresses.
It still feels like there's very little air
getting in and out of this cage.
Concrete cage. That's all this place is.
I've heard that this is a prison where they are trying to improve
the rehabilitation programs, but there is absolutely no sign
of rehabilitation in the segregation unit.
And, for me, and I've seen many of these kinds of places,
punishment like this is punishment. This is hard.
[pensive music playing]
[seagulls cawing]
[Rowe] Solomon Islands has one of the highest rates
of sexual violence in the world,
but unlike in many countries,
sex offenders are not kept apart from the general prison population here.
I still haven't asked my cellmate Frankie what he's in here for.
[indistinct chatter]
[Rowe] This is not your first time being convicted of a crime.
You've committed other crimes.
Last time I was convicted for four years
for, uh, armed robbery.
-How many times have you been to prison? -[Frankie] Mmm…
I don't actually recall.
You don't remember how many times you've been in here?
[Frankie] Yeah.
When was… How old were you the first time you came to prison?
Well, I was, uh, sixteen.
-[Rowe] Sixteen. -Yeah.
[Rowe] And your thirty what now?
Thirty-six now.
So you've been in and out of prison for 20 years.
[dramatic music playing]
[Rowe] Frankie is only just been released from the segregation block himself.
He spent much of the last two years there.
[Rowe] That must have been hard.
Hard.
As you can see from that place, it's not good for a human being.
It's too dark and hot.
[Rowe] Did you nearly lose your mind?
Ey.
It's like feelings that I've never experienced before.
I have a wife. I have two sons.
How old are your sons?
Uh, one is seven years old, and the other one is three years old.
So the three-year-old was born just before you come into prison.
Does he come to see you with the other one?
Oh, he's still not seen me.
He's not seen you in two and a half years?
Two and a half years.
During the time I was arrested, no one visited me.
-No? -My family. No one.
[Rowe] Frankie was sent to segregation
because he succeeded in escaping from Rove.
-[Rowe] How many of you were involved? -[Frankie] Oh, lots of boys.
Here, these are the things that we used.
-The bolts. -[Rowe] You took them off of there.
We took them off from this padlock,
and then, um, we used this…
[Rowe] Mm-hmm.
…to break those wires.
So you got up there, broke it, and then you climbed through?
[Frankie] We jumped over that razor wire.
[Rowe] And then you got out.
-And then we ran and ran. -And run.
And after two months, they arrested me,
and then they brought me directly to the segregation block.
[Rowe] Security is tightened since the escape,
and after his long period in seg,
Frankie won't be trying it again.
While we've been chatting,
the other inmates have been gathering for evening worship.
I'm keen to see how much it really means to them.
[man] Right. Uh, good evening, everyone.
-[inmates] Good evening. -God is good.
-[inmates] All the time. -All the time.
[inmates] God is good.
[indistinct chatter]
[inmates] ♪ Praise God, praise God For his wonderful love ♪
♪ Praise God for his wonderful love ♪
[singing continues indistinctly]
[Rowe] There's no doubting the genuine religious passion
among these prisoners.
But I wonder if it translates into real change.
[clapping and singing continues]
[song ends]
[praying]
When I was watching, all the guys were very devoted to God.
-Very devoted to Jesus Christ. -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Becoming very emotionally moved. -Yeah.
Yet every one of them are prisoners. Every one of them have committed a crime.
Every one of them have done what God and good people and Christians
are supposed to not do.
Yeah. When they face these hard times in here,
they came to realize that what they have done is actually not right.
If you are devoted to doing this,
then you must do it truly or honestly.
[Rowe] I am a bit skeptical, but I'm keen to see
how much the strength of their religious faith
is helping prisoners reform here.
[hip-hop music playing]
Today, I've been given one of the very few prison jobs
available at Rove.
I've been told to go and look for a guy called Mustin,
who I'm scheduled to help in the kitchen today.
Mustin?
Hello?
-[Mustin] Hello. -[Rowe] Mustin? Hi.
-I've been told to help you and your team. -Okay. Good.
[Rowe] Working in the kitchens is a reward for good behavior.
[Mustin] This is for the dinner.
-[Rowe] Okay. So you need me to do that? -Yeah.
Yes. So this is not the sort of thing you did outside?
No. We were not really cooking outside.
Our wives are the ones that do the cooking.
-Your wives do the cooking. -Yeah.
Men don't cook?
-Men don't cook. -Why not?
It's our culture. Women do all the house jobs.
Woo! Even now?
Even now.
And what has life been like for you inside prison?
Oh, really tough. You look at yourself as a nobody.
How long have you been in the prison altogether?
[Mustin] Uh…
Fourteen years, nine months.
[Rowe] So that must be for murder.
Yes.
You have to help me. We lift down this pot.
-Be careful, my friend. -[Rowe] Oh.
This is really heavy, yeah?
Yeah. You are tougher than me.
-Ready? Go. -Yes.
Yeah. The pot there.
[grunts] It's heavy, heavy, heavy.
Are you doing it with one hand so you can show your stronger?
[Mustin] Yeah.
-On top? -Yes.
[Rowe grunts]
-[Mustin] Yes, man. Okay. -Woo, hold on.
-[exhales] -I do the serving. You close the lids?
[Rowe] Okay.
[Mustin] Here.
[Rowe] How many?
Where should I put it? Just pile them up here?
-Pile them up over there. -Okay.
-No. Leave it for me. -Oh.
Who was it that you killed?
Uh, my own son.
How old was your son?
I'd say about ten or 11 years old.
You have to pile the same size together in five.
So that we don't occupy too much space, see?
[Rowe] Mustin.
[Mustin] Yes?
Why did you kill your ten-year-old son?
[Mustin] Really, I don't, uh…
mean to kill him, but I thought it was a discipline
that a father does to a son.
[Rowe] You were disciplining your son, but you killed him?
And
accidentally,
he… died.
[Rowe] What had he done?
He stole the other neighbor's watermelon.
For that reason, it makes me angry
and I cannot control my anger.
[Rowe] Your son stole your neighbor's watermelon,
and as a punishment, you killed him?
By whipping him and likely, he died.
What did you use? Was it your hand, or was it a--
-[Mustin] A stick. Yeah. -A stick.
You must have known that…
Or seen, Mustin, that you were going too far.
[Mustin] It's hard to describe.
So terrible,
and I feel regret.
I start to learn new things in prison.
[Rowe] Mustin does seem to have changed profoundly,
and it looks like it's his faith, not any prison rehab program,
that's helped him get here.
When I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior,
I came to a scripture,
First John, Chapter 1, Verse 9. It says,
"If you confess your sins, I am faithful
and just to forgive all your sins
and cleanse you from all your unrighteousness."
That is the encouraging message that gives me hope.
It changed my way of thinking.
What will you do when you are eventually released?
[Mustin] Oh.
I would like to help my community. Yeah.
Do you think your community would welcome you back after what you did?
-They would? -Yes.
They already are ready to welcome me back.
In our own culture and in Christian teaching, yeah?
We have ways to solve any kind of problem.
To accept each other, yeah? To forgive each other and love each other.
And by that, we start to live a new life
with our families and our community.
[Rowe] However he's achieved it,
it seems Mustin has come to terms with his crime,
and when the time eventually comes, he'll be ready to return home.
[pensive music playing]
[Rowe] So you hand this over to the next guy--
-[Mustin] Yeah, he gives it to the block. -[Rowe] Okay.
[Rowe] Next, I'm working with another prisoner.
Christopher.
-[Rowe] Hello. -Hello.
[Rowe] Where does this go?
[in Pidgin] Follow the signs.
[in English] The second part of my job today
has been distributing the food in the tubs.
I don't know what it tastes like because I haven't had a chance
to try this food yet, but these tubs are really hot.
-Hello. -[inmate] Hello.
[Rowe] There you go.
Rice, noodles, and cabbage?
[Christopher] Yes.
With a little bit of-- I can smell fish.
[Christopher] Yeah.
Fourteen.
Fifteen.
You do the same job every day?
-Yeah. -Every day?
Yeah, every day.
[Rowe] Last two.
[Christopher] Yeah.
-[Rowe] Thank you, sir. -[Christopher] Yeah.
[Rowe] Do we do this now?
[Rowe] This prison is a small community,
and if you do have enemies, it's hard to avoid them.
Christopher seems on edge.
You look a little bit nervous. You okay?
[in Pidgin] For me, it's very hard.
[Rowe in English] In what way?
[in Pidgin] Uh, there are some men who just want to fight.
-[in English] Yeah. -Why are you in prison?
What is it that you did
that brought you to prison that people don't like?
[in Pidgin] Murder.
That's how I came here.
Some of the relatives of the person who died
are also here in prison.
[in English] Tell me the story. What happened?
[in Pidgin] Five men from their village
raped my daughter.
-[in English] Raped your daughter? -Yeah.
How old was your daughter?
Fifteen years.
[in Pidgin] She was my first daughter, and I loved her so much.
[Rowe in English] Christopher took revenge on an innocent schoolgirl,
also 15 years old,
who came from the same village as the perpetrators of the rape.
[in Pidgin] I was overwhelmed with anger.
So that's why I killed.
I slashed both of her legs.
Put a rope around her neck,
and tied it to the top of a tree.
[Rowe in English] The person you killed is the relative of some of the guys in here?
Yes.
So are they scared of you, or are you scared of them?
-[in Pidgin] I'm scared of them. -[man in English] He's scared of them.
[Christopher in Pidgin] They promised they were going to kill me.
If there's no one around and they come, they will kill me.
[Rowe in English] It seems this tragic tale may not be finished yet.
[pensive music playing]
[hip-hop music playing]
Violent crime by women in Solomon Islands is extremely rare.
There are only six women behind bars in the whole country,
and they're all kept in a separate block here at Rove.
I'm curious to find out what conditions are like for them.
I'm greeted by Elizabeth.
[Rowe] Hey, good morning.
[women] Good morning.
-[Rowe] Can you show me around? -[Elizabeth] Yep.
We have the cells.
[Rowe] So this is your sleeping space?
Mine is there.
You have some privacy. The men don't have that.
-[Elizabeth] Really? -[Rowe] No.
And it has a… a nice smell here. It feels clean.
-[Elizabeth] This is cell two. -[Rowe] Okay.
-And this is cell number three. -And this is cell three.
-[Rowe] It's just one person in here? -[Elizabeth] One person.
Because she had a mental--
-[Rowe] Oh, okay. -So she lives alone.
-Okay, she has mental problems. Okay. -Mental, yes.
Because she murdered her grandma.
[Rowe] She killed her own grandmother?
Yes. Cut her into three pieces.
-She cut her in three pieces? -Three pieces.
The arms out. Here, here. Legs.
And you've got to live with her,
not knowing when she may turn on one of you?
-That is scary. -That's… Yeah.
-Are you scared? -I'm scared.
[Rowe] This block is still basic,
but it's much cleaner than the men's wing I'm on.
[Rowe] Oh, It's much cooler in here.
[Rowe] And these women seem much busier than the men too.
[Rowe] Wow, that's amazing.
What are these used for?
-[Elizabeth] It's a doormat. -[Rowe] This is very pretty.
[gentle music playing]
[Rowe] Elizabeth claims she's only here because she was forced into crime
by a violent man,
though I've no way of verifying everything she tells me.
[Rowe] How did you end up in prison?
I'm dealing with finance.
-[Rowe] Finance. -Yep.
-[Rowe] Fraud, is it? -Yeah.
Why did you do that?
My boyfriend
keep on asking for money,
but I don't have enough money to give him.
If I don't give him money, he gonna smack me.
-Had he smacked you before for money? -[Elizabeth] Yeah.
Do you see all these scars, uh… scars here?
-[Rowe] He did that? -Yeah, he did that.
He threw stone at me.
[Rowe] Dysfunctional relationships between men and women
here in Solomon Islands
seem to be at the root of many of the inmates' crimes.
I know that a high proportion of the men
are in here for sexual offenses.
Why is that a problem in this country?
We are not important.
So they can do things they want to do,
like assaulting women, sexual abuse.
They know that it's against the law,
but they keep on doing that.
Why do you think that it is part of the culture here
that men think that they can do these things to women
and get away with it?
Maybe some of them lack an education background.
And most of the time, when they get drunk.
[Rowe] And what about women? What can you do to protect yourselves?
The only thing we women can do is respect the men,
and the men also have to respect us too.
[dramatic swell]
[Rowe] Before I leave,
the women finish our meeting with a prayer.
Thank you, that I am saved in Jesus' name.
And I pray. Amen.
♪ Help me ♪
♪ Yes, I cry unto you ♪
♪ Jesus, I surrender ♪
♪ Oh, I surrender ♪
♪ You are the sun that I see ♪
[Rowe] Faith really is the only thing prisoners here,
both men and women, feel they can hold on to.
[pensive music playing]
Back on my wing,
Frankie's friends are singing their own devotional songs
about finding a hopeful future outside prison.
[guitar strumming]
[singing in Pidgin]
It's our Pidgin language.
-Okay. -Like broken English.
Let's say, like a Christian song.
Okay.
[continues singing in Pidgin]
[Frankie] It's talking about spiritual freedom.
I'm free because of your love.
It's what they--
-[Rowe] Free in their mind? -[Frankie] Yeah.
[continues singing in Pidgin]
[music fades]
[tranquil music playing]
[Rowe] The prison doesn't have enough money
for rehabilitation programs for all inmates,
but it has invited the church in to run a 12-week course,
which all sex offenders here must attend.
I've heard that John,
not his real name, is taking the course.
He's been convicted of grave sexual offenses
with multiple victims,
so I want to find out what progress he's making.
[John] This is my cell.
-Please, can you take a seat there? -Oh, yeah. Sure.
Yeah, I think he wants the doors shut.
[John] I feel a little bit insecure.
-[Rowe] You do? -[John] People staring at me.
They will… They might have some plans,
negative plans, secret traps. Want to kill me.
Do something to me.
What… What were you actually charged and convicted for then?
Four counts.
Indecent assault.
And how do you feel about it now?
What you did?
Uh… [sighs]
I wish they forgive me.
I've already pleaded guilty, and I'm taking responsibility for this.
Lots of people, but more importantly, the victims
have been affected by what you've done.
And what you did was despicable.
And I have nothing to say, uh… say about that.
That's right.
[Rowe] John seems genuinely repentant,
but his tone does change when we discuss the sentence
he was given for his crimes.
And you were sentenced to how long in prison?
Um, six years imprisonment and came to amazement
that it shouldn't be like this.
You think your sentence is too long?
Compared to others,
where they have sexual intercourse penetrative with their daughters.
They sentence them to five years.
[dramatic sting]
[Rowe] John invites me to sit in on a session
with the pastor who works with sexual offenders inside the prison.
[John] Uh, we call it a faith-based sexual offender program.
Good morning.
-Uh, this is Pastor Titus Rory. -Okay. Morning.
[John] Pastor, good morning. This is Raphael.
He will be joining us this morning.
Just in your words, what have you learned from the sessions?
It helps me at giving me this…
-A new thinking, a new mentality. -[Pastor Titus] Yes.
-The women. -[Pastor Titus] Yes.
[John] You should treat them equally and respect them.
-How to relate to women. -[John] And-- Yep.
When you see them, they're not just an object
that you can make use of.
-[John] Yep. -But they are made in the image of God.
Women and men are equal in dignity, in value.
-I have a problem. -[Pastor Titus] Mmm.
In my spirit.
When I leave this place,
I will be trying… Not trying, but I must.
-Of course through God's help. -[John] Yeah.
Through God's help, I must discern…
what is right and what is wrong.
[Pastor Titus] Yeah.
[speaks indistinctly]
-Thank you. -Thank you.
Thank you. And good to see you again.
[Rowe] Pastor Titus has been working with sex offenders at Rove
for the last eight years.
[pensive music playing]
Is it challenging for you
having to deal with such a high proportion of prisoners
with that kind of offense?
It's… It's very challenging. Very challenging.
It's important for them to accept the responsibility
of… of the crimes they've committed.
Then it's very likely that they won't do it again.
You're focusing on those that have been caught and end up in prison,
but do you see it as a bigger and wider problem?
Yes, definitely.
Those who don't work, they're the ones who get into trouble.
Satan finds work for those who don't have any work to do.
They can say that, "Yes, I want to be changed,"
but once they leave here, that's the challenge.
I just sat in on a session with Pastor Titus.
It seems to be the theme amongst these inmates
that they use their newfound devotion to religion
as a way of saying, "I won't do it again." For me, that's not good enough.
You know, these urges, these temptations that led them
to do the things that they did outside,
you know, rape women,
children…
will not, I don't believe, be, um, reduced just by them embracing God.
But all said and done,
they do have somebody.
At least they do have somebody in the prison
trying to get into the mindset of some of these guys
to tell them that what they've done is wrong.
When they get out, they should not do it again.
And whether they buy into that genuinely or not, only time will tell.
[pensive music playing]
[hip-hop music playing]
[Rowe] Today, I'm traveling outside Rove prison
with two inmates who are among the lucky few
sent to Tetere farm prison to finish their sentences.
Here, the prisoners can all learn vocational skills.
[inmate laughs]
[siren wailing]
[Rowe] How long were you in the prison for?
Five years.
[rattling]
-It's a bumpy, bumpy ride. -[inmate] Yes.
[Rowe] And how are you feeling right now in this van?
-I'm feeling so very happy. -[Rowe] You're happy?
I'm so happy that I'm leaving the punish place.
[sirens continue wailing]
[Rowe] What crime did you commit?
Rapist.
-[Rowe] You were charged with rape? -Rape.
-[Rowe] And what about you? -Incest.
[Rowe] Incest?
One count of incest?
Two counts of incest. Two.
[siren wailing]
Over and over again,
when I'm about to ask them what they've been in prison for,
I almost know what the answer is.
It's a… a crime of sexual abuse
against women and young girls.
But I'm still shocked by it. I'm still shocked.
-[tranquil music playing] -[birds chirping]
[Rowe] As soon as I catch sight of this prison,
it feels like another world.
[indistinct chatter]
It's very different from Rove, you know.
It feels… It just feels freer.
The prisoners here have a lot more freedom to roam.
And many of the prisoners are being given more opportunity
because they are trusted prisoners.
[Rowe] There are currently just 36 inmates here.
They've all earned their places thanks to good behavior.
[dog barking]
I think this is the guy that I'm told I've got to meet. Um…
-You're Joseph, right? Hi, I'm Raphael. -Hello.
-Okay, Raphael. -[Rowe] Yes.
[Rowe] Joseph spends his days caring for the livestock.
-So we're working over there today? -Yes.
[pensive music playing]
[Joseph] My job is to look after the pigs.
-[Rowe] Uh-huh. -[Joseph] Feed them.
You are gonna do the clean-up, yeah?
It stinks.
[Joseph] Okay. Come, come, come.
-[Rowe] Which are we doing now? -Yeah, there and there.
[pigs squeal]
Okay. Move, move.
Good. Go.
-This is shitty work, that's for sure. -[chuckles]
-[pigs continue squealing] -[Rowe] Woo!
Aw, look at this little cute one.
-[Joseph] Yeah. -And that one, that's even smaller.
A little baby one.
[Joseph] Little babe, yeah. He's two weeks now.
-[Rowe] Two weeks. -Yes.
Okay, you now.
Uh, do you get paid for doing this job?
[Joseph] Three dollars for one day.
-Solomon dollars? -Yes.
[Rowe] That's the equivalent of 35 US cents a day.
[pigs oinking]
[Rowe] Oh, look, this one. You've already pooped again.
[Joseph] Go, go, go, go.
You may mix it.
Are they making noise because they smell the food?
-They smell the food, yes. -They know they're gonna get fed.
Yeah, yeah.
-The cement is clean, so we put it-- -Okay.
-Enough? -Yes, enough.
[Rowe] How come I'm doing all the hard work?
-Huh? You're resting today. -[Joseph chuckles]
-Making me do the hard work, huh? -[Joseph] Oh, yes.
I want one dollar from your three dollars.
[chuckles] Yeah, yeah.
[Rowe] Joseph's been in prison for 15 years
and tells me he's serving life for the murder of his wife.
[in Pidgin] We were sleeping that night, and I had a dream.
[in English] What was the dream?
[in Pidgin] I was dreaming about my father and two other men.
I thought these two people
wanted to poison me.
So I just got angry,
took a knife and stabbed her.
I think it was 20 times that I cut and cut her like this.
[in English] And do you think your time in prison,
has it made you change in any way? Think differently?
[in Pidgin] Oh, yes. I have learned to get rid of my short temper
and my anger.
God wants us to love each other.
[in English] What do you hope for yourself
in the future?
[in Pidgin] I will make this building for piggery and poultry.
And also, grow vegetables.
[Rowe in English] Joseph may be released in a few months,
and I hope he can make a go of a new life as a farmer.
Tetere farm prison has certainly given him a chance.
In comparison to Rove, this place does have opportunities.
[pensive music playing]
The guys are developing a skill to take outside to apply for a job.
So this place definitely has more to offer prisoners than Rove.
[pensive music continues]
[Rowe] Returning to my wing at Rove,
it feels bleaker than ever.
[dramatic swell]
[tense music playing]
[Frankie] Okay, one. Go, go, go.
-Count. One. -One.
[both] Two.
[Rowe] It's my last day at Rove Central Correctional Center.
[Rowe] You sure you're okay?
[Frankie] Yes, I'm fine. All right, that's enough.
I just came to say goodbye, man, because I'm being discharged.
-All right? My time is finished. -Okay.
[Frankie] Now your time has come.
Huge joy, or whatever.
Good luck. That's all I can say. Good luck with whatever happens next.
I hope you don't come back. That's all I can say.
-[Frankie] Ah, yeah. -[Alessio] Yes.
-Thank you very much. -Thank you.
[indistinct chatter]
[Rowe] Before I leave, I'm keen to speak to the prison director, Commander Needy.
You okay?
[Rowe] The first woman in the post,
she's only had two months to try and make an impact.
The first thing that, um, struck me
when I came into the prison was the condition of the prison.
You know, the smell of sewage, the… the disregard for rubbish.
I've seen rats, and cockroaches, and all sorts of insects.
It depends on the government to, uh, you know, give the money.
I understand that having a clean environment
for staff in prison and service as well is a very crucial aspect to consider.
We have been raising the issue
to the attention of the, uh, executive level,
and they have taken on board all those issues.
Okay, well, it's good to hear that, you know, you have intentions
or you recognize what I'm witnessing.
And I met with Pastor Titus
and spoke to him about the program, the faith-based program he's working on.
What do you think about the challenges of dealing with
a sexual offender of some kind?
I think, uh, the… the offending behavior stream
and the programs provided are very helpful.
But for the long term, uh, I think we really… really need to have
some form of psychological counseling
to really treat the… the inward behavior.
This will be a very long-term dream,
but as long as I will be with the correctional service,
that is what I would like to work on to really achieve.
[Rowe] Commander Needy and her team have got ambitious plans.
But until they get some proper resources to rehabilitate the inmates,
they'll have to rely on the church and the men's faith to make a difference.
There are some positive initiatives both here in Rove and Tetere,
and locking these men up will stop them committing crimes,
but they are limited in their resources.
And until there are broad social changes
far beyond this prison,
reforming many of these men will continue to be an enormous challenge.
[hip-hop music playing]
[music fades]