Hard Time

National Geographic follows new inmates entering the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison before they are classified and sent to a permanent facility to serve their hard time. Follow correctional officers as they get new inmates – from murderers to minor offenders – shaved, showered, deloused and ready to be immersed into prison life.

National Geographic reveals how doing time in an extreme world such as Georgia's paramilitary correctional system can transform someone. For some inmates, the change starts physically, often in the form of an illegal prison tattoo that can guarantee time in solitary confinement. Others become what some call "the female gender" behind bars.

Get an intimate view of Hi-Max – the most extreme prison environment allowed in Georgia, where beds are bolted to the walls, doors are operated remotely and inmates are checked every half-hour. And discover "shock incarceration," for nonviolent first-time offenders: 90 days of intense, military-style boot camp. Here, young offenders are pushed to their limits to develop discipline and self-control, and get an unforgettable taste of the ramifications of a continued life of crime.

Every element of control at Hays State Prison feeds one central purpose: to keep convicted and dangerous felons inside. But when it all fails, two inmates make their move for freedom. National Geographic follows the intense manhunt for two escaped convicts. Inmates go into lockdown, tactical squads assemble and K-9 units scour the riverside looking for clues. Meet one of the best manhunters in the state and watch the shakedown as inmates are interrogated, cells are ripped apart and everything is searched.