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[Raphael Rowe]
Diavata Maximum Security Prison, Greece.
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00:00:12,045 --> 00:00:14,245
Have you done that before?
Stabbed someone in prison?
3
00:00:14,325 --> 00:00:15,805
[prisoner in Greek] Yes, I did.
4
00:00:16,405 --> 00:00:19,245
[Rowe in English] Overcrowded and rundown.
5
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I never thought I'd be using
a fucking power drill inside a prison.
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Home to some
of the country's most dangerous prisoners.
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[in Greek] It was unfortunate.
I grabbed a knife and stabbed him.
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[prisoner] Right now I am doing time
for an armed robbery with a balaclava.
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[in English] All three
are serious offenders.
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00:00:41,165 --> 00:00:45,325
And to a new breed of criminal,
the people smugglers.
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[in Greek] All five of us
got 55 years each.
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[prisoner] My sentence
is 109 years for people smuggling.
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[Rowe in English] This is
where I'm spending the next week.
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But it's not my first time behind bars.
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My name is Raphael Rowe.
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00:01:01,725 --> 00:01:04,885
I was convicted
in the UK of a murder I didn't commit
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and sentenced to life with no parole.
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It took me 12 long years to clear my name.
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Now I'm traveling the globe to discover
what life is really like
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inside the world's toughest prisons.
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[lock clicks]
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[siren wailing]
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I'm on my way
to Diavata Prison in the north of Greece.
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It's a prison where
they keep murderers, thieves, robbers
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and all kinds of other offenders.
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But one of the growing populations
is people smugglers.
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[shouting]
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[Rowe] Following the wars
in Iraq and then Syria,
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in the last decade, over a million
illegal migrants have entered Greece,
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looking for a new life.
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But at least 20,000 have died
on the perilous journey to Europe
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because of the risk taken
with their lives by people smugglers.
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To deter people smugglers from operating,
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the government are handing out
extremely long sentences.
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In some cases, hundreds of years.
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People smugglers operate in the shadows.
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To some people, they're invisible,
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but this prison has a huge number.
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Are these guys who are ending up
in prison changing their ways?
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I'm gonna find out.
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I'm concerned about what I'm going to find
in this maximum security prison.
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It's full of Greece's toughest criminals
and overcrowded,
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thanks to the massive
influx of people smugglers.
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Even before this crisis,
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Greek prisons were starved of cash
and had a reputation for violence.
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[officer] Come.
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This is it.
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[officer in Greek] Turn around
and look at me. Do you take drugs?
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[Rowe in English] No drugs.
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[officer in Greek] Take off
your clothes and put them over there.
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Please open your mouth.
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Please get on your knees.
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I require a urine sample, please.
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[urinating]
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[Rowe in English] And do you find
that many prisoners who come in here
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might have drugs in their system?
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Yes. About 50%. Usually pills.
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And, uh, heroin.
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I was quite surprised
that he said 50% of the prisoners
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that come through this searching space
have drugs in their system.
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[officer in Greek]
Your tests are negative.
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Come, get inside.
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[Rowe in English] I'm going to be sharing
a cell designed for two
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with three other men.
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Over 100 people smugglers
have been sent here
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since the migration crisis hit Greece.
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[officer in Greek] The truth is
the majority of inmates come from abroad.
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The prison would have
no overpopulation problems
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if it only had Greek inmates.
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[lock clicks]
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[in English] Number one is your cell.
You can go inside from here.
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[Rowe] At the prison's request,
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none of the prisoners
will be using their real names.
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Hello.
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Wherever they're from,
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most prisoners here
speak Greek or English.
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-Hello.
-Hello.
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-My name is Nico.
-[Rowe] Nico.
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-Nico, yes.
-[Rowe] Nice to meet you, Nico.
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-Yeah, Johnny.
-[Rowe] Nice to meet you, Johnny.
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-Antonis.
-[Rowe] Antonis.
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Raphael. This is where
I'm gonna be staying with you guys.
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-[Johnny] Yeah.
-[Rowe] So which one would be my one?
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-This one.
-This is my one? Okay.
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These three guys have shared
this small cell for the last five months.
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[Johnny] Where do you come from?
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00:05:07,285 --> 00:05:09,125
-[Rowe] I come from London.
-London.
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-[Rowe] Come from England.
-[Johnny] England.
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You're all different nationalities, right?
You're not Greek.
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I am Greek.
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-[Rowe] You are Greek?
-Yeah.
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-Albania, Afghanistan.
-[Johnny mutters]
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So tell me a little bit
about how it works here.
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What-- what the day-to-day routine is.
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[in Greek] They unlock the doors
at 8:20 a.m.
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until 12:30 p.m.
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Then the food is distributed.
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At 2:30 p.m., they open the door
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until 8:40 p.m.
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After that, we get fed.
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Every day is the same.
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[in English] Probably
the most important question.
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Who gets to choose
what you watch on television?
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-[laughing]
-The old man.
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No, every-- All together, my friend.
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We are friends here, you know?
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We are all friends.
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[Rowe] Okay, okay. How long
have you been in prison, all of you?
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[Nico in Greek] I've been here ten years
already for murder.
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I came to this jail two years ago
because of its drug rehab unit.
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I was a user of drugs.
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[in English] And you, Johnny?
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[in Greek] My second time in prison.
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[in English] First, hashish.
After the second time, hashish.
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[Rowe] So when you came
to prison the first time for hashish,
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you didn't learn your lesson.
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[laughing]
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[Nico] Business.
Businessman. This is businessman.
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Murder, drug trafficking?
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Yes.
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[in Greek] People smuggling.
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People smuggling.
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-[Rowe in English] People smuggling?
-Hmm.
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[prisoners chattering]
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[Rowe] I'm just outside
on the-- on the cellblock wing.
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So they put me in a cell with a murderer,
a people smuggler and a drug trafficker.
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All three are serious offenders.
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The crimes are serious crimes,
however you look at it.
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But I don't know the details.
130
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And they all seem like really nice guys.
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The block is about
to be locked down for the night.
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We do have
a hole-in-the-floor toilet in the cell,
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but the hot water's off.
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[whispering] Oh, very cold water.
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I'm told it's been out for nearly a week.
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[exhales]
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It feels suffocating,
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four of us squeezed
into a few square meters.
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So this is my sleeping space.
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They have things in the cells.
Television, drinks.
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So there are some comforts.
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But a cell is a cell.
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It's a small space.
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And you feel it.
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Sitting here, you feel it.
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[lock clicks]
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It's my first morning
inside Diavata Prison.
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How you sleep through four men
in a cell making grunting noises,
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but Johnny obviously can.
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[Johnny snoring]
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[Rowe] Johnny!
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Does he snore like that every night?
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[in Greek, chuckles]
That's nothing, believe me.
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[snores] You snore. You do. You do snore.
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-[Johnny] No.
-[Rowe snorting]
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-[laughing]
-[Rowe] Yeah.
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He can't even believe it.
"No, no, I don't snore."
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Which means
I'm the first person who's told him that.
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Could be fighting talk, right?
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At 8:20, the cell doors are unlocked,
and it's time for work.
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Cash has been very tight since
Greece's financial crisis a decade ago,
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so there's not enough money
for prison repairs.
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Today, I've been assigned
to work with my Afghan cellmate Nico,
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who's serving life for murder
and has had serious drug problems.
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[Rowe] Nico.
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Because he has construction skills,
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they've asked him to fix the hot water
and armed him with the tools for the job.
168
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[Rowe]
So, what are we doing here today then?
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[in Greek] There's a broken water pipe
here that needs fixing.
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[in English] Feels like
we're planning an escape.
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There's loads of rubble, rock dug up.
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[Nico in Greek] For nearly a week,
the prisoners haven't had any hot water.
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[whirring]
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[Rowe in English] So, how come
you're doing it? Why is there not people--
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builders from outside
coming in and doing this work?
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[in Greek] If you are an inmate
with some skills
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or you have a trade, you can do it.
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Working here in prison
means we'll be released sooner.
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[Rowe in English] Diavata Prison has
come up with an imaginative solution
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00:10:11,525 --> 00:10:13,125
to its cash shortage.
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00:10:13,885 --> 00:10:17,485
They keep prisoners busy
maintaining their own prison.
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Instead of money,
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they're rewarded
with time off their sentences.
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00:10:23,565 --> 00:10:28,885
If I know for every day I do this,
I get a day taken out of my sentence,
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I would do this every day.
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This one?
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-Here?
-[Nico] Yeah, hold on.
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[whirring]
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I never thought I'd be using a fucking
power drill inside a prison cell.
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A maximum security prison,
I'm using a power drill.
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As close to the outside wall
as I possibly can get.
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Are you not tempted to use this
to go through this wall and run?
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-[Nico] No. No, no, no.
-No? [chuckles]
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00:11:01,525 --> 00:11:05,245
[in Greek] I've not been
in the outside world for ten years.
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00:11:05,325 --> 00:11:07,005
I'm not about to do it now.
Let's get going.
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00:11:07,085 --> 00:11:09,645
[whirring]
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00:11:13,405 --> 00:11:15,805
[Rowe in English] Yeah!
We made a breakthrough.
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00:11:17,285 --> 00:11:18,885
-We finally got to the pipe.
-[Nico] Yeah!
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00:11:20,725 --> 00:11:22,525
-[in Greek] You are tired.
-[exhales]
200
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[Nico in Greek] You want to have a break?
201
00:11:24,485 --> 00:11:25,965
[in English] Yeah, let's have a rest.
202
00:11:31,365 --> 00:11:33,925
Back on the cellblock, it's lunchtime.
203
00:11:34,685 --> 00:11:36,805
Our meal was cooked by prisoners,
204
00:11:36,885 --> 00:11:41,045
and I'm surprised to discover that,
despite the shortage of cash,
205
00:11:41,125 --> 00:11:45,285
the food is, by prison standards, great.
206
00:11:46,005 --> 00:11:49,125
So we have fish, mashed potato,
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00:11:49,725 --> 00:11:50,965
beetroot.
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[in Greek] They don't cut corners.
The portions are generous.
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[in English] This is really good.
Johnny, so why are you not eating?
210
00:11:59,925 --> 00:12:04,805
[in Greek] I'm not hungry.
I had cornflakes at 11:00 a.m.
211
00:12:04,885 --> 00:12:06,245
[Rowe in English] You have reserve.
212
00:12:06,325 --> 00:12:07,165
Yeah, I'm okay.
213
00:12:07,245 --> 00:12:10,085
[in Greek] This morning, I got him milk
while he was still sleeping.
214
00:12:10,165 --> 00:12:14,205
-[Rowe] Mm-hmm.
-I feed him, as he is old.
215
00:12:14,285 --> 00:12:16,565
He is of a certain age, you have to admit.
216
00:12:16,645 --> 00:12:17,765
[laughing]
217
00:12:17,845 --> 00:12:20,045
We respect him. He is older than us.
218
00:12:20,125 --> 00:12:22,525
-[in English] Cornflakes.
-[laughing]
219
00:12:22,605 --> 00:12:24,605
One liter of milk with cornflakes.
220
00:12:24,685 --> 00:12:26,605
[laughing]
221
00:12:30,125 --> 00:12:35,405
[Rowe] It's the afternoon unlock,
and the doors are electronically opened,
222
00:12:35,485 --> 00:12:38,925
and all the prisoners come out
of their cell again to socialize,
223
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go to work, make phone calls.
224
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Some have come out,
some have not come out,
225
00:12:43,605 --> 00:12:45,405
because the regime here is liberal.
226
00:12:45,485 --> 00:12:49,365
It is slightly more relaxed
than you can find in-- in some places.
227
00:12:51,885 --> 00:12:54,285
Before Nico and I head back to work,
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00:12:54,365 --> 00:12:59,565
I want to know how his journey to Europe
ended up with him committing murder.
229
00:13:00,165 --> 00:13:02,445
Nico is from Afghanistan.
230
00:13:02,525 --> 00:13:05,445
He was smuggled here aged just 17,
231
00:13:05,525 --> 00:13:09,765
during the war between the Taliban
and American-led forces.
232
00:13:11,445 --> 00:13:12,805
Where did you grow up?
233
00:13:12,885 --> 00:13:14,485
[in Greek] Mazar-i-Sharif.
234
00:13:14,565 --> 00:13:17,205
My father died before I was even born.
235
00:13:17,285 --> 00:13:19,805
I was one of five brothers,
236
00:13:19,885 --> 00:13:25,325
so I had to work to support my mother.
237
00:13:25,405 --> 00:13:27,925
We were very poor.
238
00:13:28,005 --> 00:13:31,125
A lot of the time,
we didn't have food to eat.
239
00:13:31,205 --> 00:13:33,165
[in English] How did you get into Greece?
240
00:13:33,245 --> 00:13:36,005
[in Greek] I crossed Iran, then Turkey.
241
00:13:36,085 --> 00:13:39,085
We were 120 people in one truck.
242
00:13:39,165 --> 00:13:43,365
I paid the smuggler $500.
243
00:13:43,445 --> 00:13:45,605
We drove for 13 hours without stopping.
244
00:13:45,685 --> 00:13:52,605
You change cars, and during the nights,
you stay in the mountains.
245
00:13:52,685 --> 00:13:55,765
I spent one night in Turkey
and then paid 1,200 euros,
246
00:13:55,845 --> 00:13:57,565
and the next day I was in Greece.
247
00:13:58,125 --> 00:14:01,805
[in English] How many of those 120 people
that you traveled with made it?
248
00:14:01,885 --> 00:14:07,325
[in Greek] Very few. The ones who didn't
have any money were locked up…
249
00:14:10,645 --> 00:14:17,045
until they were able to pay up.
250
00:14:17,125 --> 00:14:20,165
They were treated like slaves.
251
00:14:21,525 --> 00:14:26,205
Some starved to death.
Some died of thirst.
252
00:14:26,845 --> 00:14:30,485
Uh, many were arrested
253
00:14:30,565 --> 00:14:34,365
by the police in Iran.
254
00:14:36,005 --> 00:14:40,485
If they were found in the mountains,
they were shot dead.
255
00:14:43,805 --> 00:14:47,125
[Rowe in English] You get into Greece.
You're now an illegal immigrant.
256
00:14:47,205 --> 00:14:49,085
How do you survive? What do you do?
257
00:14:49,165 --> 00:14:52,205
[in Greek] So the only thing I could do
was work as a laborer for a farmer.
258
00:14:52,285 --> 00:14:55,325
I worked for five to seven months.
259
00:14:55,405 --> 00:15:02,005
I was asking for my money patiently,
and he kept ignoring me.
260
00:15:02,605 --> 00:15:03,885
[in English] So, what did you do?
261
00:15:06,125 --> 00:15:10,445
[in Greek] I told him,
"If you don't pay, I'll harm you."
262
00:15:11,045 --> 00:15:12,845
I grabbed a knife and stabbed him.
263
00:15:14,085 --> 00:15:16,485
[in English] Did you just
stab him the one time?
264
00:15:16,565 --> 00:15:21,405
[in Greek] Yes, just the one time,
but unfortunately, it was fatal.
265
00:15:25,565 --> 00:15:27,165
I stabbed him down here.
266
00:15:27,245 --> 00:15:29,765
-[Rowe in English] Oh, you stabbed him.
-[Nico mutters]
267
00:15:29,845 --> 00:15:32,765
[Nico in Greek]
I didn't intend to kill him.
268
00:15:33,405 --> 00:15:35,125
It wasn't premeditated.
269
00:15:39,405 --> 00:15:41,205
Have you been
caught up in drugs in prison?
270
00:15:41,285 --> 00:15:44,325
Have you used drugs
to escape the reality of prison?
271
00:15:44,405 --> 00:15:48,165
[in Greek] After my mom died,
I was doing heroin for six months.
272
00:15:48,245 --> 00:15:52,165
It was like a death penalty.
273
00:15:52,245 --> 00:15:55,885
I didn't have any will to survive.
274
00:15:57,525 --> 00:16:01,685
[Rowe in English] It's time for Nico
and me to get back to the hot water pipe.
275
00:16:01,765 --> 00:16:05,765
Nico is clearly
a troubled and angry person,
276
00:16:05,845 --> 00:16:09,645
and he has more to reveal
about his history of violence.
277
00:16:10,445 --> 00:16:13,125
[Nico in Greek]
I choose to do this because
278
00:16:13,885 --> 00:16:20,165
it makes me forget about my sentence.
279
00:16:20,245 --> 00:16:23,405
I fill my time not thinking of shit,
280
00:16:23,485 --> 00:16:26,045
like stabbing someone or finding drugs.
281
00:16:28,405 --> 00:16:30,845
[in English] Have you done that before?
Stab someone in prison?
282
00:16:30,925 --> 00:16:33,045
[Nico in Greek] Yes, I did.
283
00:16:35,085 --> 00:16:36,085
Did the person die?
284
00:16:36,165 --> 00:16:38,325
[Nico in Greek]
He didn't die. He was severely injured.
285
00:16:41,165 --> 00:16:42,765
[Rowe] Why did you stab the person?
286
00:16:42,845 --> 00:16:45,205
[Nico in Greek] Because he owed me money.
287
00:16:50,805 --> 00:16:52,685
[in English] How many times
did you stab the guy?
288
00:16:52,765 --> 00:16:54,845
[Nico in Greek]
Uh, I stabbed him three times.
289
00:16:54,925 --> 00:16:56,725
They gave me ten more years.
290
00:16:56,805 --> 00:16:59,685
I made a mistake. I went to prison,
and I paid a bitter price.
291
00:16:59,765 --> 00:17:02,685
That's life. When you do something wrong,
you have to pay for it.
292
00:17:03,805 --> 00:17:06,365
[Rowe in English] I'm still trying
to get my head around Nico.
293
00:17:06,885 --> 00:17:08,725
He's a bit of a conundrum to me,
294
00:17:08,805 --> 00:17:12,805
as his experience in life of being
smuggled from country to country
295
00:17:12,885 --> 00:17:17,885
to try and improve his life had
a significant impact on his state of mind.
296
00:17:18,445 --> 00:17:21,325
He's gone through such a sad journey,
297
00:17:21,845 --> 00:17:24,445
but he killed another man, unprovoked.
298
00:17:24,525 --> 00:17:25,925
He says it was about money,
299
00:17:26,005 --> 00:17:29,245
but he then goes on to do
almost the same thing in prison.
300
00:17:29,845 --> 00:17:33,325
And that,
to the authorities, must be a concern.
301
00:17:34,005 --> 00:17:38,365
The important thing is
he's ten years into a life sentence,
302
00:17:38,445 --> 00:17:41,325
and in that time, he says he's changed.
303
00:17:43,805 --> 00:17:46,005
Nico's story is a reminder
304
00:17:46,085 --> 00:17:49,685
that there are many potential dangers
inside this prison.
305
00:17:49,765 --> 00:17:51,845
[chattering]
306
00:17:51,925 --> 00:17:53,165
Back on the wing,
307
00:17:53,245 --> 00:17:56,005
guards have targeted a cell to be searched
308
00:17:56,085 --> 00:17:59,005
for phones, drugs or weapons.
309
00:18:00,245 --> 00:18:03,085
[Rowe] So, is this something
that they do every day?
310
00:18:03,165 --> 00:18:04,485
They search the cells?
311
00:18:04,565 --> 00:18:07,205
[officer in Greek]
We do searches every day.
312
00:18:07,285 --> 00:18:09,285
Each day,
it's a different floor, a different cell.
313
00:18:13,805 --> 00:18:19,925
First, we take
the inmates out of the cells
314
00:18:20,005 --> 00:18:24,165
and search each and every one of them.
315
00:18:24,245 --> 00:18:28,405
And then the guards go in
and search the cell itself.
316
00:18:33,685 --> 00:18:35,925
It can be problematic.
317
00:18:36,005 --> 00:18:39,205
The inmates get annoyed
because we are going through their home.
318
00:18:44,165 --> 00:18:45,525
[Rowe] What are they looking for?
319
00:18:45,605 --> 00:18:48,685
[officer in Greek]
Drugs, homemade wine, homemade knives.
320
00:18:49,445 --> 00:18:51,125
[Rowe in English] This time, it's clear.
321
00:18:51,205 --> 00:18:54,045
But senior guard Dimitri Petropoulos
322
00:18:54,125 --> 00:18:57,405
is keen to show me
that's not always the case.
323
00:18:59,485 --> 00:19:02,405
[Dimitri Petropoulos in Greek]
Come and see some things that we've found
324
00:19:02,485 --> 00:19:04,325
and confiscated during the last years.
325
00:19:06,805 --> 00:19:09,165
[Rowe in English] This is
what you find in prisoners' cells?
326
00:19:09,245 --> 00:19:11,405
These are serious weapons.
327
00:19:11,485 --> 00:19:14,485
[Petropoulos in Greek]
I think some of them are very interesting.
328
00:19:14,565 --> 00:19:17,725
We don't normally search
religious objects,
329
00:19:19,245 --> 00:19:24,405
but they can be dangerous as well.
330
00:19:24,485 --> 00:19:26,765
[Rowe in English]
No matter how friendly the inmates are,
331
00:19:26,845 --> 00:19:29,565
you have to be alert at all times.
332
00:19:30,765 --> 00:19:35,525
LOVE FOR OUR FELLOW MAN
MUST GOVERN OUR HEART AND SOUL
333
00:19:43,885 --> 00:19:49,245
It's my third day as an inmate
in Diavata Prison in Greece.
334
00:19:49,325 --> 00:19:50,205
[guards chattering]
335
00:19:50,285 --> 00:19:53,365
[in Greek] The guards aren't here
to let us out yet.
336
00:19:53,445 --> 00:19:54,645
Now we are going to work.
337
00:19:54,725 --> 00:19:57,965
[in English] There's no door handle
on the inside of a cell door.
338
00:19:59,805 --> 00:20:03,565
By 9:00 a.m.,
all my cellmates are hard at work,
339
00:20:03,645 --> 00:20:07,045
reducing their sentences
one day at a time.
340
00:20:08,005 --> 00:20:11,805
Nico is still trying
to fix the prison's hot water.
341
00:20:13,205 --> 00:20:18,005
Johnny, who's in here for drug dealing,
is in the prison shop.
342
00:20:19,205 --> 00:20:22,405
Antonis, the convicted people smuggler,
343
00:20:22,485 --> 00:20:26,845
has landed a cushy job,
making coffee for the prison staff.
344
00:20:26,925 --> 00:20:31,525
He works every single day he can
to knock time off his sentence.
345
00:20:32,485 --> 00:20:33,965
-[in Greek] Cheers.
-[speaks Greek]
346
00:20:34,045 --> 00:20:34,965
[in English] Okay.
347
00:20:36,205 --> 00:20:38,405
[man] Come out, come on!
348
00:20:38,485 --> 00:20:41,885
[Rowe] Antonis has offered
to show me the exercise yard.
349
00:20:47,205 --> 00:20:51,565
The transition
from inside to outside is blinding.
350
00:20:54,485 --> 00:20:58,965
If ever you want a reminder that we're
inside a maximum prison here in Greece,
351
00:20:59,045 --> 00:21:02,205
you only have to look at the guard tower
with the guard poised
352
00:21:02,285 --> 00:21:04,325
with what looks like a submachine gun.
353
00:21:06,845 --> 00:21:11,045
Antonis is so dedicated
to working to reduce his sentence,
354
00:21:11,125 --> 00:21:13,325
he hardly ever goes outside.
355
00:21:15,685 --> 00:21:18,525
[Antonis in Greek] It's been
so long since I've been out here.
356
00:21:19,485 --> 00:21:21,685
[in English] When was the last time
you came outside then?
357
00:21:22,285 --> 00:21:23,605
[in Greek] Eight months.
358
00:21:23,685 --> 00:21:25,165
[in English] Let me understand this.
359
00:21:25,245 --> 00:21:27,165
Are you saying to me
that you haven't come out
360
00:21:27,245 --> 00:21:29,405
onto this exercise yard for eight months?
361
00:21:29,485 --> 00:21:30,325
Yes.
362
00:21:30,405 --> 00:21:31,245
[Rowe] Why?
363
00:21:31,325 --> 00:21:35,485
[in Greek] Because of my work.
I'm always at work.
364
00:21:36,845 --> 00:21:38,845
[in English] Oh, what's this?
This is the weights?
365
00:21:39,485 --> 00:21:43,245
Now I'm out here,
it's a chance to see the prison gym.
366
00:21:43,325 --> 00:21:46,005
[in Greek] This is the exercise area.
367
00:21:46,605 --> 00:21:48,925
[Rowe in English]
There's no money for proper gym equipment,
368
00:21:49,005 --> 00:21:50,525
but they've improvised.
369
00:21:50,605 --> 00:21:53,405
Oh, gosh. It's heavy.
370
00:21:54,365 --> 00:21:57,085
[Antonis in Greek]
They're water bottles filled with sand.
371
00:21:57,165 --> 00:21:58,205
[Rowe in English] Okay.
372
00:21:58,285 --> 00:22:01,365
I decide
to test my strength against Kostas,
373
00:22:01,445 --> 00:22:03,685
who looks like a serious weightlifter.
374
00:22:04,205 --> 00:22:05,325
I go first.
375
00:22:06,445 --> 00:22:07,445
-[Kostas] Okay?
-Yep.
376
00:22:10,165 --> 00:22:11,605
[grunts] This is light.
377
00:22:12,925 --> 00:22:14,325
[grunts]
378
00:22:15,725 --> 00:22:17,205
[exhales]
379
00:22:17,285 --> 00:22:20,325
And Kostas shows me what he can do.
380
00:22:21,005 --> 00:22:22,405
[prisoner speaking Greek]
381
00:22:31,645 --> 00:22:34,165
-[Kostas grunts]
-Showing off. That is showing off.
382
00:22:35,205 --> 00:22:37,325
But he's a bigger guy than me, right?
383
00:22:42,365 --> 00:22:47,085
I knew that Antonis had been given
a huge sentence for people smuggling,
384
00:22:47,165 --> 00:22:50,805
which Greece now classes
as a very serious crime,
385
00:22:50,885 --> 00:22:55,525
which threatens its border security
and risks migrants' lives.
386
00:22:55,605 --> 00:22:58,125
How did you get involved in…
387
00:22:59,725 --> 00:23:00,845
in people smuggling?
388
00:23:00,925 --> 00:23:05,805
[in Greek] A friend of mine was doing it.
389
00:23:05,885 --> 00:23:07,325
I helped him out.
390
00:23:07,405 --> 00:23:09,565
I knew another guy
who was renting out vans,
391
00:23:10,885 --> 00:23:13,565
and I introduced them to each other.
392
00:23:13,645 --> 00:23:15,405
[in English] You knew
he was gonna smuggle?
393
00:23:15,485 --> 00:23:16,325
[in Greek] Yes.
394
00:23:16,405 --> 00:23:17,965
[Rowe in English] What happened next?
395
00:23:18,045 --> 00:23:19,965
[Antonis in Greek]
The police made an arrest.
396
00:23:20,045 --> 00:23:22,565
All five of us got 55 years each.
397
00:23:22,645 --> 00:23:24,725
[in English] So you're doing 55 years?
398
00:23:24,805 --> 00:23:26,485
[in Greek] And also
a fine of 500,000 euros.
399
00:23:26,565 --> 00:23:28,125
[laughs]
400
00:23:28,205 --> 00:23:32,005
[in English] Do you accept your role
for what was going on?
401
00:23:32,605 --> 00:23:34,965
[in Greek] It was only an introduction.
402
00:23:36,005 --> 00:23:39,445
I am not responsible for what happened.
I didn't take it seriously.
403
00:23:39,525 --> 00:23:42,445
Anybody could have done it.
404
00:23:44,645 --> 00:23:48,405
[Rowe in English] He says his role
was small, yet he got 55 years.
405
00:23:48,485 --> 00:23:53,365
He didn't think that he was doing
anything wrong is what he told me.
406
00:23:54,325 --> 00:23:56,765
Whatever the truth of his story,
407
00:23:56,845 --> 00:24:01,445
Antonis is one of over a hundred
people smugglers in this prison,
408
00:24:01,525 --> 00:24:04,405
more than one in four of the inmates.
409
00:24:09,045 --> 00:24:11,165
On top of the problem with the hot water,
410
00:24:11,765 --> 00:24:14,525
there's a new crisis
in this crumbling building.
411
00:24:14,605 --> 00:24:16,525
[officer in Greek]
Raphael, have you got a minute?
412
00:24:16,605 --> 00:24:20,965
[Rowe in English] Now the backup
electricity generator has broken down.
413
00:24:21,045 --> 00:24:24,205
I've been recruited
to help fix it with Kostas,
414
00:24:24,285 --> 00:24:26,565
the guy who out-lifted me this morning.
415
00:24:28,325 --> 00:24:29,645
[officer in Greek] Kostas?
416
00:24:30,445 --> 00:24:32,605
Today you'll both work on the generator.
417
00:24:32,685 --> 00:24:33,965
Okay. See you.
418
00:24:34,045 --> 00:24:35,165
[Kostas in English] Okay.
419
00:24:35,245 --> 00:24:38,885
[Kostas in Greek]
We are going to fix the generator.
420
00:24:39,965 --> 00:24:42,765
We will modify the exhaust pipe.
421
00:24:43,965 --> 00:24:47,045
[Rowe in English]
Kostas is a 36-year-old truck driver
422
00:24:47,125 --> 00:24:50,405
who's got a crucial role
in keeping this prison running,
423
00:24:51,005 --> 00:24:53,005
thanks to his mechanical skills.
424
00:24:56,965 --> 00:24:57,885
[Kostas] Give me…
425
00:24:58,565 --> 00:25:00,125
-[Rowe] This one?
-[Kostas] Yes.
426
00:25:01,325 --> 00:25:02,325
And wood.
427
00:25:02,405 --> 00:25:03,525
[Rowe] And the wood.
428
00:25:07,885 --> 00:25:09,645
How long have you been doing this job?
429
00:25:09,725 --> 00:25:11,165
[Kostas in Greek] Three years.
430
00:25:11,245 --> 00:25:13,125
[in English] Is that how long
you been in prison?
431
00:25:13,205 --> 00:25:14,285
[Kostas in Greek] Yes.
432
00:25:16,485 --> 00:25:20,765
[Rowe in English] It turns out that Kostas
was part of the same smuggling ring
433
00:25:20,845 --> 00:25:23,485
as my cellmate Antonis.
434
00:25:23,565 --> 00:25:26,805
Tell me about the--
the crime that you committed then.
435
00:25:26,885 --> 00:25:28,765
You were convicted for people smuggling.
436
00:25:28,845 --> 00:25:31,485
[Kostas in Greek]
My responsibility was to transport them.
437
00:25:31,565 --> 00:25:36,405
These people had come to the Evros border,
and I transported them,
438
00:25:36,485 --> 00:25:40,165
put them in a truck
and got them to Thessaloniki.
439
00:25:40,245 --> 00:25:42,525
[Rowe in English]
I wanna put myself in your position.
440
00:25:42,605 --> 00:25:45,405
And I'm thinking about
being behind the wheel in the truck.
441
00:25:45,485 --> 00:25:49,085
How do the people that
are being smuggled get into the truck?
442
00:25:49,165 --> 00:25:50,965
[Kostas in Greek] On the highway.
443
00:25:51,805 --> 00:25:57,485
There are some places out there,
public toilets in certain locations.
444
00:25:57,565 --> 00:25:59,805
They'll wait there,
and we'll load them from there.
445
00:25:59,885 --> 00:26:00,965
Ninety-nine people.
446
00:26:01,045 --> 00:26:06,405
The trucks were big,
very big, with plenty of space.
447
00:26:06,485 --> 00:26:08,765
[Rowe in English] How did you get caught?
448
00:26:08,845 --> 00:26:11,765
[Kostas in Greek]
I stopped at a gas station.
449
00:26:11,845 --> 00:26:13,845
That's where the police stopped me.
450
00:26:13,925 --> 00:26:15,445
[Rowe in English] What's your sentence?
451
00:26:15,525 --> 00:26:21,125
[Kostas in Greek] My sentence is 109 years
for people smuggling.
452
00:26:21,205 --> 00:26:23,285
[Rowe in English]
A hundred and nine years?
453
00:26:23,365 --> 00:26:26,005
[Kostas in Greek]
How the Greek system works is,
454
00:26:26,085 --> 00:26:28,045
whatever the sentence you get,
455
00:26:28,125 --> 00:26:31,245
the most that you'll serve is 20 years.
That's the most you'll do.
456
00:26:31,325 --> 00:26:34,165
[Rowe in English]
Twenty years is still a long time.
457
00:26:34,245 --> 00:26:35,165
Why did you do it?
458
00:26:36,045 --> 00:26:41,445
[Kostas in Greek]
My main motive was money.
459
00:26:41,525 --> 00:26:43,645
[Rowe in English]
Well, what were you paid?
460
00:26:44,685 --> 00:26:45,765
[Kostas] Hmm.
461
00:26:47,725 --> 00:26:50,605
[chuckles, speaks Greek]
462
00:26:50,685 --> 00:26:52,245
[in English] Uh, stop. Please stop.
463
00:26:52,325 --> 00:26:53,565
-[Rowe] Okay.
-[Kostas] Stop.
464
00:26:53,645 --> 00:26:56,165
[Rowe] I'm not surprised
he's tight-lipped.
465
00:26:56,245 --> 00:26:59,685
Migrants often pay smugglers
thousands of euros each.
466
00:26:59,765 --> 00:27:02,165
Smuggling just 99 people
467
00:27:02,245 --> 00:27:06,725
could have made
Kostas' gang over half a million euros.
468
00:27:06,805 --> 00:27:07,765
Okay, let's carry on.
469
00:27:07,845 --> 00:27:12,405
[Kostas in Greek] I didn't harm anyone.
I didn't kill anyone.
470
00:27:12,485 --> 00:27:15,925
Until a few years ago,
people smuggling was just a misdemeanor.
471
00:27:16,565 --> 00:27:20,125
Now it's a criminal offense.
I believe it's disproportionate.
472
00:27:22,165 --> 00:27:25,565
I might be offender,
but what I did is no crime.
473
00:27:27,685 --> 00:27:29,765
[in English] Listening to him
did make me think,
474
00:27:29,845 --> 00:27:35,965
"Is 109 years for trying to help people
who were fleeing from war-torn countries
475
00:27:36,045 --> 00:27:40,005
or looking for a-- a better life justice?"
476
00:27:41,685 --> 00:27:44,005
In Kostas' case, he did it for the money.
477
00:27:44,685 --> 00:27:46,645
It's a financial industry.
478
00:27:46,725 --> 00:27:50,205
There is a lot of money involved
for a lot of people who are involved
479
00:27:50,285 --> 00:27:52,285
in the people smuggling operation.
480
00:27:53,125 --> 00:27:56,805
But I can't imagine what it's like
for those men, women and children
481
00:27:56,885 --> 00:27:58,485
who flee in desperation,
482
00:27:58,565 --> 00:28:01,405
end up dying on the back of those trucks.
483
00:28:01,485 --> 00:28:03,645
You know, squeezed in like sardines,
484
00:28:03,725 --> 00:28:07,805
having spent everything they own
to get to where they need to get to,
485
00:28:07,885 --> 00:28:10,285
in the hope
that they will have a better life.
486
00:28:10,885 --> 00:28:12,925
[whirring]
487
00:28:23,685 --> 00:28:25,725
Both the people smugglers I've met
488
00:28:25,805 --> 00:28:29,805
have played down the seriousness
of what they were involved in,
489
00:28:29,885 --> 00:28:33,605
but I've heard that less
than three miles away from the prison,
490
00:28:33,685 --> 00:28:38,845
there is a refugee camp for people
who have been smuggled into Greece.
491
00:28:38,925 --> 00:28:42,165
So today,
I'm on a day release from the prison
492
00:28:42,245 --> 00:28:44,325
to hear their side of the story.
493
00:28:44,845 --> 00:28:48,205
This is one
of many refugee camps here in Greece
494
00:28:48,285 --> 00:28:50,965
where migrants and refugees seek asylum.
495
00:28:51,485 --> 00:28:54,405
And for many, it will be a relief
after the journey they've taken
496
00:28:54,485 --> 00:28:57,245
and the risks they've gone through
to get here.
497
00:28:58,325 --> 00:29:01,205
There are dozens
of camps like this around Greece.
498
00:29:01,285 --> 00:29:04,485
-This one alone has 700 people.
-[barks]
499
00:29:05,645 --> 00:29:06,805
Mr. Ahmed?
500
00:29:06,885 --> 00:29:09,965
Ahmed Haji is from Northern Iraq.
501
00:29:10,045 --> 00:29:13,325
He and his large family
fled the bitter conflict there.
502
00:29:13,405 --> 00:29:15,085
They hired a people smuggler
503
00:29:15,165 --> 00:29:19,325
who promised to get them
to Western Europe and a better future.
504
00:29:19,405 --> 00:29:22,845
But in reality,
they've been stuck in Greece,
505
00:29:22,925 --> 00:29:26,525
living in this metal box
for three and a half years.
506
00:29:27,365 --> 00:29:29,925
[Rowe] Tell me how you made your journey.
507
00:29:30,005 --> 00:29:31,925
[in Kurdish] I came to Turkey to Istanbul.
508
00:29:32,005 --> 00:29:35,005
I found a smuggler there.
509
00:29:35,085 --> 00:29:40,845
I paid him almost $80,000.
510
00:29:40,925 --> 00:29:45,125
We were in a vehicle for almost two hours,
511
00:29:45,685 --> 00:29:50,165
then we walked for seven hours
to reach the border.
512
00:29:50,765 --> 00:29:52,525
There was water, a river.
513
00:29:52,605 --> 00:29:55,725
It was a small boat,
514
00:29:55,805 --> 00:30:00,245
meant to be for 14 or 20 people,
but we were 47 in it together.
515
00:30:00,325 --> 00:30:07,125
They threw away our bags and everything
to free up space for us.
516
00:30:07,205 --> 00:30:10,365
We had to put the small children
under our feet.
517
00:30:10,445 --> 00:30:14,765
It was a big water, uh, big river.
It was not pleasant at all.
518
00:30:15,805 --> 00:30:20,445
At one point, my family and four sons
were swept away by the water.
519
00:30:20,525 --> 00:30:23,325
We were swept away for 100 meters,
and we thought, "That's it!"
520
00:30:24,125 --> 00:30:27,485
[Rowe in English]
Ahmed and his family were the lucky ones.
521
00:30:27,565 --> 00:30:30,165
[Ahmed Haji in Kurdish]
There was someone I knew.
522
00:30:30,245 --> 00:30:32,405
He'd left home
a couple of months before us.
523
00:30:33,125 --> 00:30:37,285
He fell in the water.
His wife and his two children drowned.
524
00:30:37,365 --> 00:30:40,405
Their bodies were never found.
525
00:30:41,805 --> 00:30:45,165
[Rowe in English] Over a thousand migrants
a year lose their lives
526
00:30:45,245 --> 00:30:46,845
trying to reach Europe.
527
00:30:48,085 --> 00:30:51,445
When you met with these smugglers,
what did they promise you?
528
00:30:51,525 --> 00:30:54,645
[in Kurdish] The plan was to go
straight through Bulgaria.
529
00:30:55,725 --> 00:30:59,205
Uh, that's why we paid so much.
530
00:30:59,885 --> 00:31:03,565
But they conned me and brought me here.
531
00:31:03,645 --> 00:31:05,285
On some of the smuggling routes,
532
00:31:05,805 --> 00:31:08,685
other smugglers
were actually robbing people.
533
00:31:08,765 --> 00:31:11,445
[in English] Is this
what you expected when you fled Iraq
534
00:31:11,525 --> 00:31:13,725
and paid people smugglers lots of money,
535
00:31:13,805 --> 00:31:15,525
to end up in a refugee camp?
536
00:31:15,605 --> 00:31:19,205
[in Kurdish] Smuggling is all lies.
There's no truth to it.
537
00:31:19,285 --> 00:31:21,365
[in English] It's a shocking
state of affairs.
538
00:31:21,445 --> 00:31:24,005
But I thank you
for sharing your story with us.
539
00:31:26,805 --> 00:31:32,485
More than half of asylum claims
are rejected by the Greek authorities.
540
00:31:33,085 --> 00:31:36,805
Ahmed and his family,
and hundreds of thousands like them,
541
00:31:36,885 --> 00:31:40,685
have risked their lives
and forfeited their savings
542
00:31:40,765 --> 00:31:42,965
for a very uncertain future.
543
00:31:49,005 --> 00:31:54,645
He tells a very different story
of people smugglers' involvement
544
00:31:54,725 --> 00:31:57,725
in transporting men like him
and families like his
545
00:31:57,805 --> 00:31:59,445
from one place to another.
546
00:32:00,125 --> 00:32:02,485
He says that they're not good guys.
They're manipulative.
547
00:32:02,565 --> 00:32:05,485
They're liars,
and they do things just for money,
548
00:32:05,565 --> 00:32:09,245
and they put him and families
like his at risk doing what they do.
549
00:32:12,525 --> 00:32:15,925
But as long as people
want to escape poverty and war,
550
00:32:16,005 --> 00:32:18,205
migrants will keep on coming,
551
00:32:18,285 --> 00:32:21,165
and smugglers will make fat profits.
552
00:32:24,965 --> 00:32:29,045
Back inside Diavata Prison,
I'm going to track down Kostas,
553
00:32:29,125 --> 00:32:32,445
the people smuggler serving 109 years.
554
00:32:33,205 --> 00:32:36,205
He's told me
about the crime he got convicted for,
555
00:32:36,285 --> 00:32:38,485
but I've got more questions for him.
556
00:32:40,725 --> 00:32:43,885
Do you have any other
um, court cases outstanding?
557
00:32:43,965 --> 00:32:48,885
[in Greek] Yes, there are others pending.
558
00:32:49,485 --> 00:32:53,565
[in English] Lots of people who
are being smuggled do lose their lives.
559
00:32:54,085 --> 00:32:57,325
And they lose their lives
because men like you
560
00:32:57,405 --> 00:33:01,245
are prepared
at the other end to transport them.
561
00:33:01,325 --> 00:33:04,405
So you give them hope,
hope that they sometimes never reach,
562
00:33:04,485 --> 00:33:06,485
because they die on that journey.
563
00:33:07,685 --> 00:33:09,125
What do you say to that?
564
00:33:10,045 --> 00:33:13,045
[in Greek] Those cases
565
00:33:13,125 --> 00:33:17,045
have nothing to do with me.
566
00:33:17,125 --> 00:33:21,125
I've never been involved
in an incident like that.
567
00:33:21,205 --> 00:33:23,125
It's never happened to me.
568
00:33:23,205 --> 00:33:26,125
[in English] So you're
not ashamed or remorseful?
569
00:33:26,805 --> 00:33:27,645
[in Greek] No.
570
00:33:27,725 --> 00:33:32,125
[in English] Do you think long
prison sentences for people smugglers
571
00:33:32,645 --> 00:33:37,765
is the answer to deter others
from doing the things that you've done?
572
00:33:40,085 --> 00:33:42,325
[in Greek] The long sentences don't work.
573
00:33:42,405 --> 00:33:47,205
Seventy percent of inmates will
do it again even if they don't want to,
574
00:33:48,045 --> 00:33:50,445
because there's nothing for them outside.
575
00:33:51,525 --> 00:33:52,445
[Rowe exhales]
576
00:33:52,525 --> 00:33:54,605
[in English] He's not ashamed
of what he does.
577
00:33:54,685 --> 00:33:56,725
He doesn't think
that the government's policy
578
00:33:56,805 --> 00:33:59,405
of increasing sentences is a deterrent.
579
00:33:59,485 --> 00:34:01,645
-And maybe it does deter some people.
-[chattering]
580
00:34:02,805 --> 00:34:04,765
But I don't think it deters Kostas.
581
00:34:12,485 --> 00:34:15,565
Aside from all the people smugglers
in this prison,
582
00:34:15,645 --> 00:34:17,805
they have another big challenge.
583
00:34:17,885 --> 00:34:19,325
When I arrived here,
584
00:34:19,405 --> 00:34:24,805
I was told that 50% of new inmates
tested positive for drugs.
585
00:34:24,885 --> 00:34:28,525
My own cellmate Nico was a heroin addict.
586
00:34:28,605 --> 00:34:30,605
-Thank you, my friend.
-Thank you very much.
587
00:34:30,685 --> 00:34:34,245
But Diavata has a special drug rehab unit,
588
00:34:34,885 --> 00:34:37,045
and it's pretty unique for a prison.
589
00:34:37,685 --> 00:34:40,765
The unit is housed in its own secure zone.
590
00:34:40,845 --> 00:34:43,085
Prisoners have to apply to join.
591
00:34:43,165 --> 00:34:46,085
Then the prison decides who's eligible.
592
00:34:48,205 --> 00:34:51,805
[Rowe] It's very different here, isn't it,
from the prison?
593
00:34:51,885 --> 00:34:54,245
[prisoner in Greek]
Yes, it's totally different.
594
00:34:55,005 --> 00:34:56,285
Uh…
595
00:34:57,845 --> 00:35:00,325
A lot of the time,
I don't feel like I am in prison.
596
00:35:00,405 --> 00:35:02,565
[Rowe in English]
Thirty-five-year-old George
597
00:35:02,645 --> 00:35:06,765
is one of the 13 prisoners
going through the rehab program here.
598
00:35:07,365 --> 00:35:10,885
[George in Greek]
We painted Prometheus stealing the fire.
599
00:35:10,965 --> 00:35:14,965
Prometheus is the name of our community.
600
00:35:15,565 --> 00:35:19,045
There is our motto,
601
00:35:19,125 --> 00:35:23,365
and this is what we shout
after our therapy.
602
00:35:23,445 --> 00:35:25,445
[chattering]
603
00:35:28,205 --> 00:35:31,325
[prisoners] We are together,
bound by our souls,
604
00:35:31,405 --> 00:35:34,445
one for the other, for a better life!
605
00:35:34,525 --> 00:35:36,925
We are Prometheus!
606
00:35:37,805 --> 00:35:41,285
[Rowe in English] These 13 inmates know
they are the lucky ones.
607
00:35:41,365 --> 00:35:45,445
The unit has space for 84 men,
but with so little money,
608
00:35:45,525 --> 00:35:49,765
they can only help a fraction
of the inmates who need treatment.
609
00:35:50,285 --> 00:35:53,765
[George in Greek] I share it
with another member of the community.
610
00:35:53,845 --> 00:35:55,765
[Rowe in English]
Right now, George is clean,
611
00:35:55,845 --> 00:36:00,365
but he needs to make sure that
when he's released in two years' time,
612
00:36:00,445 --> 00:36:02,325
he can stay clean for good.
613
00:36:03,605 --> 00:36:04,885
Why are you in prison?
614
00:36:04,965 --> 00:36:10,085
[George in Greek] Now I am doing time
for an armed robbery with a balaclava.
615
00:36:10,165 --> 00:36:15,805
Uh, banks, post offices, betting shops.
616
00:36:15,885 --> 00:36:17,365
Things like that.
617
00:36:17,445 --> 00:36:19,245
[Rowe in English]
And what weapon do you use?
618
00:36:19,325 --> 00:36:23,125
[George in Greek] An automatic,
not a revolver. An automatic.
619
00:36:23,725 --> 00:36:25,445
[Rowe in English]
Ever used a gun on anybody?
620
00:36:25,525 --> 00:36:30,765
[George in Greek] I've never shot anyone.
621
00:36:30,845 --> 00:36:35,205
I just fire into the air
to scare them to get the money.
622
00:36:36,725 --> 00:36:41,605
I had to do
what I had to do to get my fix.
623
00:36:42,205 --> 00:36:44,445
Heroin, cocaine, hash…
624
00:36:44,525 --> 00:36:46,165
-[Rowe in English] Everything.
-Everything.
625
00:36:46,245 --> 00:36:50,445
[Rowe] And that's why you're here
in this-- this therapeutic community,
626
00:36:50,525 --> 00:36:54,325
and overcoming your drug dependency,
which drives your crime.
627
00:36:54,405 --> 00:36:57,605
[George in Greek] Since I was a kid,
628
00:36:58,125 --> 00:37:02,005
I've had this image of myself,
629
00:37:03,205 --> 00:37:05,445
that I am a criminal,
that there is nothing good in me,
630
00:37:05,525 --> 00:37:08,405
which is exactly the opposite.
631
00:37:09,365 --> 00:37:14,565
I found people
who show me real love and respect here.
632
00:37:15,805 --> 00:37:18,205
-[therapist] Good morning, everyone.
-[all] Good morning.
633
00:37:18,285 --> 00:37:20,245
[therapist] Who wants
to share his thoughts today?
634
00:37:20,325 --> 00:37:22,725
[Rowe in English] Every day,
they have group therapy
635
00:37:22,805 --> 00:37:27,445
to help each other understand
and manage their addictions.
636
00:37:28,325 --> 00:37:29,645
[George in Greek] Good morning.
637
00:37:30,205 --> 00:37:36,045
Uh, it's very hard for me to talk
about this stuff, but I'm trying.
638
00:37:36,125 --> 00:37:38,845
My sister visited me after a long time.
639
00:37:38,925 --> 00:37:44,125
At last we talked
about some issues with our father.
640
00:37:44,205 --> 00:37:47,805
[prisoner] I've spoken
with one of my children.
641
00:37:47,885 --> 00:37:49,445
My other two don't speak to me.
642
00:37:50,045 --> 00:37:54,005
If only they knew their dad
643
00:37:54,085 --> 00:37:58,285
is a changed man.
644
00:37:58,885 --> 00:38:00,685
[therapist] Very good. Embrace.
645
00:38:04,605 --> 00:38:06,605
[Rowe in English]
It was quite an emotive session.
646
00:38:06,685 --> 00:38:11,125
Grown men who have committed crimes
have talked quite openly
647
00:38:11,205 --> 00:38:14,925
about what their day's
or week's challenges have been.
648
00:38:15,005 --> 00:38:17,485
And that's what this-- this program,
649
00:38:17,565 --> 00:38:20,925
this therapeutic community,
is trying to do,
650
00:38:21,005 --> 00:38:25,005
provide these guys
with the means, the tools,
651
00:38:25,085 --> 00:38:28,125
the ability to go
on that journey to change their life.
652
00:38:28,205 --> 00:38:30,885
And we know when they change their life,
653
00:38:30,965 --> 00:38:33,565
it changes the life of a potential victim.
654
00:38:33,645 --> 00:38:36,365
For me, that's so important.
655
00:38:37,885 --> 00:38:40,965
Today, one of the group is turning 40.
656
00:38:41,605 --> 00:38:42,925
[George in Greek] Let me help you.
657
00:38:43,005 --> 00:38:45,165
[Rowe in English] I know
how to put an apron on, George.
658
00:38:45,245 --> 00:38:46,085
[chuckles]
659
00:38:47,005 --> 00:38:48,965
Oh, so you prepared the icing already.
660
00:38:49,885 --> 00:38:54,245
[George in Greek]
Take the icing and spread it all over.
661
00:38:54,325 --> 00:38:56,445
[Rowe in English]
I'll start in the middle.
662
00:38:58,485 --> 00:38:59,605
Are you impressed?
663
00:39:00,965 --> 00:39:03,365
[George in Greek]
You're doing it better than me.
664
00:39:04,085 --> 00:39:07,245
[Rowe in English]
Okay. How does it feel to be clean?
665
00:39:07,325 --> 00:39:11,365
[George in Greek] I didn't believe
that I could ever live without drugs.
666
00:39:11,445 --> 00:39:18,245
I didn't believe I could work,
not even prepare this cake.
667
00:39:18,325 --> 00:39:22,725
[Rowe in English] And do you recognize
how much pain you must have caused
668
00:39:22,805 --> 00:39:25,245
when you were firing guns to scare people?
669
00:39:25,325 --> 00:39:28,445
[George in Greek]
I can understand how they felt.
670
00:39:29,085 --> 00:39:32,165
I can put myself in their position.
I can understand how they felt.
671
00:39:32,245 --> 00:39:34,085
I can't do anything about it.
672
00:39:34,165 --> 00:39:36,205
I feel guilt and remorse.
673
00:39:36,845 --> 00:39:39,205
I am at peace with my past.
674
00:39:39,285 --> 00:39:45,725
[all] ♪ May you live long
May you grow old and have white hair ♪
675
00:39:45,805 --> 00:39:51,725
♪ Give to everyone
The light of knowledge ♪
676
00:39:51,805 --> 00:39:57,005
♪ And may all say here is a wise man ♪
677
00:39:58,725 --> 00:40:00,605
[Rowe in English]
From what I've seen today,
678
00:40:00,685 --> 00:40:04,925
this unit is giving prisoners
the sort of help they desperately need.
679
00:40:05,445 --> 00:40:09,525
It's a shame it's only helping 13 people.
680
00:40:18,005 --> 00:40:22,365
I promised my cellmate Nico,
doing time for murder,
681
00:40:22,445 --> 00:40:24,885
a game of basketball
before I left the prison.
682
00:40:27,565 --> 00:40:29,965
[cheers]
683
00:40:30,045 --> 00:40:33,565
Nico has been admitted
to the drug therapy program before,
684
00:40:34,165 --> 00:40:38,405
but he couldn't take the intensity of it
and soon dropped out.
685
00:40:38,485 --> 00:40:41,325
Now he's desperate for another chance.
686
00:40:42,525 --> 00:40:47,725
When I was over there, the regime,
the structure requires quite a lot of you.
687
00:40:47,805 --> 00:40:49,845
And in a place like this,
that can be challenging.
688
00:40:49,925 --> 00:40:51,885
So do you think
you're ready to go back this time?
689
00:40:51,965 --> 00:40:55,405
[in Greek] Over there,
you have to face yourself in the mirror,
690
00:40:55,485 --> 00:40:58,205
realize who you are, what you've done.
691
00:40:58,285 --> 00:41:00,965
When you're in here,
it is difficult to face up to yourself.
692
00:41:01,045 --> 00:41:02,245
It's difficult for anyone.
693
00:41:02,325 --> 00:41:04,685
[in English] Why do you think
you're ready to face yourself?
694
00:41:04,765 --> 00:41:10,045
[in Greek] I feel I am at an age
that allows me to handle these things now,
695
00:41:11,205 --> 00:41:13,045
and it's for my own good.
696
00:41:13,125 --> 00:41:14,485
There's no downside.
697
00:41:14,565 --> 00:41:19,165
It's time to decide what I want to do
with my life when I get out.
698
00:41:19,245 --> 00:41:21,125
I have to be ready to reenter society.
699
00:41:22,205 --> 00:41:26,845
I hope to get out of prison
700
00:41:27,685 --> 00:41:29,405
and be a normal person
701
00:41:29,485 --> 00:41:32,165
and forget what I've been through
these past 15 years.
702
00:41:39,925 --> 00:41:43,765
[Rowe in English]
It's my final morning at Diavata Prison.
703
00:41:43,845 --> 00:41:45,805
But each of my three cellmates
704
00:41:45,885 --> 00:41:48,885
could be staying here
for a decade or more,
705
00:41:48,965 --> 00:41:51,525
even with time knocked off for working.
706
00:41:52,965 --> 00:41:58,125
They're likely to be joined by even more
people smugglers in the years ahead.
707
00:41:58,205 --> 00:42:01,085
And that may continue
to limit what the prison can do
708
00:42:01,165 --> 00:42:04,125
to help other inmates change.
709
00:42:04,205 --> 00:42:08,325
Before I leave,
I want to ask the prison's director,
710
00:42:08,405 --> 00:42:12,885
Anastasios Papadopoulos,
what he makes of this situation.
711
00:42:13,685 --> 00:42:16,765
You are running
some really good programs here.
712
00:42:16,845 --> 00:42:19,085
The drug dependency unit.
713
00:42:19,165 --> 00:42:23,005
But there's only very few spaces
for them to take advantage of.
714
00:42:23,085 --> 00:42:25,325
[Anastasios Papadopoulos in Greek]
The reality is
715
00:42:25,405 --> 00:42:27,125
our resources are extremely limited.
716
00:42:27,205 --> 00:42:33,165
The prison was designed
to hold around 360 people.
717
00:42:33,245 --> 00:42:40,125
Right now, instead of 360,
we are accommodating 440 prisoners.
718
00:42:40,205 --> 00:42:45,845
It's a number that goes well beyond
the capabilities of the prison.
719
00:42:46,805 --> 00:42:48,925
[Rowe in English]
But the growing number of prisoners,
720
00:42:49,005 --> 00:42:51,485
not just here but in prisons
across the country,
721
00:42:51,565 --> 00:42:53,205
are involved in people smuggling.
722
00:42:53,285 --> 00:42:57,565
So does that suggest that the very
long sentences that they are getting
723
00:42:57,645 --> 00:43:01,925
is not the deterrent that
the lawmakers hoped that it would be?
724
00:43:02,005 --> 00:43:03,765
[Papadopoulos in Greek]
What you say is true,
725
00:43:03,845 --> 00:43:09,885
but a stricter sentence
does act as a deterrent.
726
00:43:09,965 --> 00:43:16,965
As well as sentencing,
we need to educate these people
727
00:43:17,045 --> 00:43:22,445
that what they've done are criminal acts.
728
00:43:22,525 --> 00:43:28,605
Putting the lives of human beings
in danger is a big crime for me.
729
00:43:32,405 --> 00:43:34,805
[Rowe in English]
But from what I've seen and heard,
730
00:43:34,885 --> 00:43:37,165
it's this new breed of criminals
731
00:43:37,245 --> 00:43:40,365
that may be the hardest of all to reform.
732
00:43:44,725 --> 00:43:46,645
I've seen some amazing initiatives
733
00:43:46,725 --> 00:43:49,845
that are changing some prisoners' lives
for the better.
734
00:43:49,925 --> 00:43:53,845
But have I seen a system that
can reform the new category of prisoner,
735
00:43:53,925 --> 00:43:56,845
the people smuggler? I'm not so sure.
736
00:44:02,845 --> 00:44:04,845
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