A new four-part documentary series is set to offer viewers an insight into the harsh realities of life for inmates and staff in six prisons across the UK.
Inside Prison: Britain Behind Bars highlights the unique stories of those incarcerated as well as those working in the prison services.
The ITV series, which kicks off tonight (Thursday, 26th September) at 9pm, features interviews with prisoners, trainee and veteran prison officers, who shed light on the challenges of escalating levels of violence, overcrowding and cuts to funding.
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Explaining how she ended up in prison, the inmate admtis she got into crime from a young age, saying: "I'm an expert in shoplifting... everyone is trying to hustle. I learnt from young to manipulate everyone quite quickly."
But that's just the tip of the iceberg, as the offender has since garnered a reputation for bad behaviour and has even been caught trying to climb over the prison fence to freedom.
She also threatened another inmate with an iron and has been repeatedly rude to prison officers.
Speaking during one incident, prison officer Kelly Greenaway comments: "[Gemma] is quite rude to staff. She started to rip up the mattress, so we had to take that out, and she just screamed at us all to get out."
As a result of her bad behaviour, prison staff decide to that Gemma will lose access to her vape, which leaves the prisoner furious and tearing her cell apart in retaliation.
Gemma, like many of the prisoners at HMP Downview, has a drug addiction, which has forced her into a life of crime.
She admits: "Crack has ruined my whole life. I'm scared that when I get out where am I gonna go? Will I just go back to what I know?
"I've been in jail nearly two and a half years, and I've wasted my whole time here. I've f***ed about with [synthetic drug] spice, I've tried to kill my time, and now it's getting to the end of my sentence, I really regret it."
Aside from Gemma, viewers meet former barman and project researcher Jon Aldridge as he starts his first week at HMP Bullingdon after a 10-week training course.
But the harsh realities of prison life become all too real when he's confronted by a distressing scene as high-risk prisoner seriously harms himself on the wing.
ITV's Inside Prison: Britain Behind Bars airs on Thursdays at 9pm
Featured Image Credit: ITVTopics: TV News, TV Entertainment, ITV