Behind Bars: Rookie Year

The minute a rookie corrections officer steps onto the tier for the first time, he or she becomes a target to some of the most hardened career criminals. This episode follows the best in class as they begin their careers at Penitentiary New Mexico. Whether they're cadets in training or brand new on the line, the officers all wrestle with a life-or-death question: Is it worth it?

The minute a rookie corrections officer steps onto the tier for the first time, he or she becomes a target to some of the most hardened career criminals.

Gangs are the number one threat to maintaining order at PNM. Members are organized, loyal and often violent.

Inmates are called convicts for good reason. Once inside, they have nothing but time to conjure up ingenious ways to hide contraband and manipulate COs. Mangin gets conned by a career criminal and Andrew helps STIU bust a drug dealing gang member. Ariel deals with the challenges of being a female CO.

Violence is a way of life in prison and the threat of it keeps both COs and inmates on constant alert. Zach investigates a fight while Keith deals with unstable and violent inmates. Ariel is a "rover" wrestling with the uncertainty that comes with the job. And PNM's tragic past, which includes the bloodiest prison riot in American history, acts as both a haunting reminder and a catalyst for change.

Most of PNM's inmates are serving long-term sentences for violent crimes, and for many it's drugs that help them get through the time. Despite efforts to keep the prison clean, narcotics always find their way into this otherwise closed world. Francisco suspects an inmate is high while Andrew takes inmates on a high-risk work detail outside of the prison.