Behind Bars: The World's Toughest Prisons

S01E05 Sofia Central Prison — Sofia, Bulgaria

Sofia Central Prison, a dilapidated Bulgarian facility on the brink of collapse, presents conditions too harsh for anyone, even those behind bars. The cells are overcrowded, with bunks stacked three high, while isolation units confine inmates for 23 hours a day, leaving them to languish in their bleak surroundings. Despite European Union regulations mandating a minimum of 43 square feet per prisoner, the reality here averages less than half that space. Central heating and hot water are rare luxuries, and the atmosphere is rife with violence, as inmate-on-inmate assaults are common and reports of guard abuse frequently surface.