The Big House

- Season 1

(1998)

Used originally as a military prison, the island housed the worst of the worst criminals.

This prison, where penitents were driven mad, was finally closed after years of riots.

The legendary New York prison ranks as one of America's most unsavory detention centers.

An exclusive look at America's first federal prison. Operating since 1895, Leavenworth has had its share of notoriety - from The Birdman of Alcatraz and exciting escapes to bloody riots and escalating violence.

An inside-the-walls look at the violent history of Folsom Prison, which opened in 1880. Perhaps most famous for "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash and being home to Charles Manson.

The history of the first federal women's prison, which opened in West Virginia in 1928.

Step inside California's oldest prison, which called for permanent solitary confinement. Another prison made famous by Johnny Cash.

McNeil Island, an isolated fortress rising from Puget Sound's chilly waters 40 miles south of Seattle, has been the scene of daring escapes and intense violence and home to train robbers, gangsters, and even politicians.