Step behind the bars of America's toughest jails

They are home to habitual criminals and incorrigibles, with long histories of overcrowding, protests, riots, violence and bloodshed. Visit some of the most intense and intriguing prisons in the United States, as THE BIG HOUSE profiles the penitentiaries, prisoners and wardens that continue to fascinate those on the 'outside'. From the brutal Angola Prison, whose 130-year history has witnessed chilling scenes of misery, to Central Prison in Raleigh: the first stop for North Carolina's male felons with sentences of 20 or more years, and the last stop for prisoners on death row. Visit Leavenworth, home to the US militarys only maximum security prison - infamously dubbed The Castle - and New Yorks Auburn supermax, site of the first ever execution by electric chair in 1890.HISTORY dives deep into the correctional institutions that have hosted some of the world's most infamous criminals, with powerful insights from current and retired prison wardens and correctional officers.