Spending time in some of the world’s most dangerous prisons would intimidate most. For Raphael Rowe, the experience is a familiar one.
Raphael spent 12 years behind bars after being sentenced to life without parole for a murder and robbery he didn’t commit. After his conviction was overturned, he was released aged 32, and has carved out a successful career as an investigative journalist.
In series four of Inside The World’s Toughest Prisons on Netflix, Raphael is invited inside penitentiaries in Paraguay, Germany, Mauritius and Lesotho, getting to know both inmates and prison staff.
Here, Raphael talks holding his nerve and using his own experiences to inspire others...
Does your personal experience of prison help you build a rapport with inmates?
Oh, no question. I understand the psychological challenges of being locked behind a cell door, so I have some empathy for loss of liberty. It also provides me with the right tools to ask the right questions.
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