Inside the World's Toughest Prisons

I love Raphael Rowe. He is raw and real, while actually caring, with a natural instinct for this. The other host, not so much. He tried, but it just wasnt the same.

I'm confused why there are such negative reviews? This show is very intriguing and kept me on my toes in many episodes (I.e. the episode where his cell mates wanted to take advantage of him sexually). I rate this 9/10 for taking the viewers into prisons all over the world!

I agree with other reviews about Paul, he was not a good fit. Raphael on the other hand has experience in prison and knows generally how to interact with the inmates

Finding host Raphael's dialogue with the prisoners interesting he does well establishing rapport but his comments afterwards lack awareness - is he is just lacking anything better to say so says any old criticism he can think of?

For example about one prison who allows people to choose to access services not doing enough seems to have a complete lack of awareness of the process people go through when making change and how in rehabilitation such as with addictions they often need to be at rock bottom and ready to make change and choose for themselves / they cannot be forced to change (they will just stop immediately once no one is standing there over them) but he wants them to force rehabilitation.

Another example is how he describes another group being required to take part in taking care of the little things such as keeping their own space clean (sweeping up or cleaning) being "meaningless" and "menial" - failing to recognizing that learning to take pride in caring for yourself and your little space around you is a tiny but important foundation of routine and change for someone who has had no upbringing that teaches them to value these things.

To start, a lot of the reviews for this show have issues with one or both hosts. I happen to like both hosts. Paul because as an investigative journalist without a criminal background he's unfamiliar and uncomfortable with the environments he is put in. Raphael because of his prison history (he served 12 years in maximum security after being wrongly accused and later released) and an understanding of what goes on inside. I like the fact the show isn't just beeped out profanities thrown at each other, fighting, etc. The show creates a non-threatening vibe that tends to get some really bad people, in some really bad places, to open up about some things. If you want a bunch of thugs acting like animals and going after each other this isn't the show. If you want to learn about the way different prisons work and get an inside look at internal politics, gang power, and individual stories this show is for you.