The island jail of Alcatraz was promoted by the US authorities as 'escape proof'. However, various breakouts suggested that it was about as escape proof as the Titanic was waterproof. This programme analyses one of the most celebrated escape attempts, that of Clarence and John Anglin and Frank Morris, which was immortalised in Clint Eastwood's 1977 movie.The forbidding rocks of Alcatraz rise s
The Syndicato Nuevo Mexico is a brutal gang that rules the prisons of New Mexico. Also known as the "S," they boast a rap sheet that includes drug sales, vicious beatings, and cold-blooded murder. Formed in the 1980s after one of the deadliest prison riots in US history, the "S" has become one of the most feared prison gangs in the country. If prison is hell, than SNM is the devil.
This is a tale of the age old hooliganism which has surrounded the sport of football for decades, these are the people who relish in the violence and formulate plans of attack weeks in advance of match day. In some parts of the world there are some fundamental rules which must be followed, but in more 'old school' countries there is little room for rules.The individuals who represent their fir
Rural villages and seaside towns across the United Kingdom now appear to be under threat, urban gangs are moving in with the sole intention to sell drugs. The police force is attempting to tackle these gangs who are extending their drug networks from the cities into the country side.With this new drug network comes several pressing issues, an increase in violence over territory, drug overdoses
Victims of burglary and other crimes are increasingly being offered the opportunity to meet the criminals who offended against them, in a controversial scheme aimed at empowering victims and potentially cut levels of re-offending among former prisoners. Panorama reporter Raphael Rowe goes into a jail to witness a tense encounter between two young women and the youth who broke into their home while
The disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa is one of the most famous and enduring American mysteries and it most certainly goes down in the history books as one of the great crimes of the century. Despite a huge Federal investigation which spanned over 4 decades and saw hundreds of suspects being questioned, still to this day only the contours of the crime are known.Hoffa was considered to be both hero
After ITV released their documentary "The Other Side of Jimmy Savile", they received a huge response which lead to more people coming forward with stories of abuse committed by Savile. This lead to a new documentary being released almost two months later in which Mark Williams-Thomas gets in touch with some of these people that came forward and tracks the progress of the current police investigati
"4000 a year dead, killed by total strangers, it's an epidemic of murder in America, murder with no apparent motive" - Released by in 1984, this rare documentary explores the increase in recreational murder seen throughout the United States, primarily focusing on notorious killers such as Henry Lee Lucas, Ed Kemper and Ted Bundy. The film itself even features an exclusive interview with
April 19th 1993, a violent standoff between a radical religious sect and the federal government comes to a fiery end, all eyes are on David Koresh the groups prophet, the government portrays him as a dangerous cult leader but to his followers he is the final messenger.Nearly two decades after the blaze questions about what really happened at Waco still remain. With rare footage and first hand