weekend. they were once shrouded in secrec behind the iron curtain. prisoners on death row stood against the wall. firing squad stood here. but now for the first time, a lock-up crew travels to eastern europe and goes behind the walls of six maximum suecurity prison. >> there was a moment i was thinking wait a second.

iet iets one of europe's oldest cities scarred by war. invaded not once, but twice by attila the hun. the ministry of defense building is in ruins from nato. this is belgrade, capital city of serbia. less than two miles from the city center is the largest and most infamous prison. known locally as cz. >> my parents are from belgrade was more emotion going to a prison in serbia has an ominous

reputation for serbs. they went in and you would never see them again. >> cz opened their doors in 1950s housed countless political prisoners. including opponents of the late president. many were still there when milosevic was incarcerated in 2001 while awaiting trial for corruption and war crimes. today, it houses some of the most dangerous criminals. including the assassin of a former prime minister. >> they have committed all kind of criminal offenses, basically every criminal offense on the books. include organized crime, war crimes, other serious criminal offenses such as homicide. >> cz faces the problems of overcrowding. but serbia incarcerates much smaller portion of the citizens. one out of every 700 versus one

out of 130 in the united states. >> at the moment a total of 1200 inmates are being held here, 2 1/2 times more than the prison's actual capacity. >> while some parts of cz have been modernized, much the prison shows signs of age. one especially haunting section is completely abandoned behind locked doors. the execution chamber. >> we went down probably three, four stories underground to an area best described kind of like a scene out of "aliens". >> puddles of water on the ground and boards that are slightly elevate and you kind of do a balancing act across the boards, down this old corridor. and then you just come upon an open room with a wall.

>> we are in a room where executions used to be carried out. prisoners on death row stood by the wall, the firing squad stood he here. >> translator: they had a squad of execute uners, bullets are visible on the wall. the prisoner on row spent his last days and hours in this room here. >> i have been a lot of prisons and been to row and other areas have a heavy feel to them. but i've never been in an environment like this where you just were overpowered with a sense of death. we knew we were walking in a place lots of people had died.

>> narrator: today, the death penalty is outlawed in serbia. the final execution in this chamber occurred in 1989. back above ground, our crew discovered sites that compared to american prisons were at once fame and foreign. >> the first thing that jumped out at me and the crew was the fact all the inmates seem to be wearing personal clothes. no prison-issued uniforms whatsoever. that was a little jarring. the staff kind of going along the lines of the milataristic style, distinct uniforms. staff members would encounter each other, would stop, salute and shake hands, each and every time. there was this military formality about how they greeted each other. throughout the day. >> one of the things that stood out to me in this facility was all the inmates that smoke. it's everywhere. everybody is smoking.

most prisons in the u.s. have very tight designated smoking areas or eliminating tobacco altogether, seeing eight guys next to each other all smoking at the same time and filming them in those environments, that was tough some times. >> the guards in american prison are active, you see guys lifting weights, playing games. the yard at cz was a shocking contrast. it almost looked like tenement, a concrete area, all the guys can do is play soccer. that is their recreation. that is their yard. >> narrator: when it comes to contraband, we could have been in any u.s. prison. >> translator: biggest problem we are dealing with is drugs.

inmates bringing in cell phones. we are about to witness a routine search of detention cells. two teams of security officers are conducting the search. one is involved in searching the cells and the items found in the cells, the other team, the intervention team, provides back-up. officers quickly discover what appears to be a pair of shanks, a cause for alarm in american prisons. but apparently not a big concern here. zbl >> could that be used as a weapon? >>. >> translator: many of them use it to cut food. >> a lot of these guys have food brought in to them from visitors, so they use it to cut up vegetables and meats they have. so it wasn't a big deal. >> narrator: when it comes to security, the rules are unbendable. >> the warden of cz had a background in military, he was a high ranking member of the special forces, he carried

himself like a military man and i was very surprised when i asked the warden what their assault stats were. >> translator: in the six years i have been the warden we have not had any such cases. it might seem improbable to you we did not have cases. the inmates are treated decently and they observe house rules if anybody happens it's sporadic. we do not have many problems here. >> i remember my first day, when i come here, it's for me like horror movie, but now, it's okay. >> narrator: we met one english-speaking inmate who agreed the staff does what it can to make life tolerable. serving six months for white collar crime, he asked to remain anonymous. >> we are small country, we are not rich country like america, like england, and this condition

for our country is okay. it is could be better but it's okay. this prison experience. i'm going to be another man, i'm going to be looking about freedom in another way, to appreciate freedom. appreciate to walk in the park, who drink coke, to see birds, sky. freedom is freedom. that is all. >> narrator: while cz's setting and concrete surroundings make some long for simple pleasures, our crew headed deeper in serbia. and found a prison that except for the razor wire, was almost a natural paradise. like in a special ops mission? you'd spot movement, gather intelligence with minimal collateral damage. but rather than neutralizing enemies in their sleep, you'd be targeting stocks to trade. well, that's what trade architect's heat maps do.

they make you a trading assassin. trade architect. td ameritrade's empowering, web-based trading platform. trade commission-free for 60 days, and we'll throw in up to $600 when you open an account. can you get me out of it? of course. travelocity? that's amazing! but i'm still stuck. come on man, dig it! [ female announcer ] travelocity. get great deals on all kinds of beach vacations.

( seth ) wouldn't you like to know ? something sparkly ? maybe. something sweet ? mmm... let's just say it's a surprise. the helzberg diamonds gift box. diamond heart pendant and godiva chocolate gems. i love you. you do ? is another way to look at the bean. another way that reveals the lighter, mellower side of our roast. being blonde is nothing new but blonde roast is something new. something subtle. something soft. something with 40 years of roasting experience on its side. introducing delicious new starbucks blonde roast. the lighter roast perfected. ♪

. >> narrator: 38 miles southeast of belgrade is another town.

in the middle of this rural farming community is another serbian prison. out of the nation's 28 penal institutions, the facility houses the greatest number of high security inmates. some 1500 in all. it would also prove to be one of the most unique prisons ever profiled on lock-up. >> translator: we have inmates that committed some of the worst crimes and have received the longest and most severe punishments. these include inmates perceived to be dangerous by other facilities, a threat to inmates and security personnel alike. zabela was built for 800 inmate, now houses 1300. the inmates considered the most dangerous of all are housed in this unit. it's called seventh block. >> translator: there are other housing units here, they call it a prison within a prison.

>> narrator: vladimir is serving four years for theft. he says he's housed here because of conflicts with other inmates. >> translator: i had problems in general population since there are a lot of bad people here. there are a lot of what we call rats. if i stayed there i could have ended up with six more months in prison. now a days if you break somebody's nose or jaw they immediately give you more time in prison without discussion. >> narrator: it's outside of 7th block that the uniqueness of zabela is most obvious. >> you walked out into this courtyard, that was beautiful. they had this very large fountain, and i was shocked to turn my head and see peacocks on the yard. the prison yard itself. the further we got on the prison grounds, everywhere you looked there were birds. >> then you look closer and you

see flowers, beautiful flowers in bloom and gardening, inmates planting other plants and laundry hanging out and it's almost soothing when you walk through there. >> chickens, peacocks, all these birds you would never think would be living here. how are they here? >> translator: we breed those, they are not wild birds. >> does it have a positive effect on the prison? >> translator: yes, of course. >> how about for the staff? >> translator: on them, too. animals, nature in general are pleasant to look at. >> narrator: peacocks are one thing, later on the tour we were blown away by what we saw next. >> wanted to see the yard why the guys exercise, i'm used to that in every prison. there is a beautiful pool, olympic size pool that the inmates swim in. have you been in any other prisons? >> translator: yes, yes.

>> do they all have pools? >> translator: no, no. >> just here? >> translator: yes. >> you would never see this in an american prison it's too easy for an inmate to drown another inmate or hurt a staff member you won't see it. i was stunned by that. >> narrator: the unusual sights of zabela had only just begun. >> we were on our way up front i noticed the long line of inmates, they had bags, whatever, i asked the guy what is going on here? they explained some of the guys have the privilege and right to go home for the weekend. >> the doors opened out they go. they went out in a parking lot, either family members, friends were picking them up in cars, jumping in cabs and taking off for their weekend passes. >> narrator: the men are all trusted to come back on their own. according to the prison, it's only rarely that one doesn't come back. but of all the surprises our crew discovered at zabela it was

their second encounter with 7th block inmate with vladimir that proved the most surprising. he was on his way to a conjugal visit with his wife, alexandra. >> translator: it's a private visit between me and her and nobody else. we can spend three hours together. >> narrator: just a few of the american prisons profiled on lock-up allow conjugal visits usually overnight stays between well behaved inmates and their spouses. what made this visit so unusual, however, is that alexandra is not only his wife but partner in crime. she is currently incarcerated at a serbian women's prison and was transported to zabela for the visit. >> it's a nice privilege for somebody locked up. >> translator: it's not a privilege it's their right the right of every prisoner who has a spouse. >> translator: well, i feel good about it but have cold feet hard to explain.

i sometimes wonder if she even wants to see me again. i mean, i don't know, it's hard to put in words but i'm happy about it. >> narrator: finally, vladimir and alexan drfrna are reunited. though zabela was like no prison we've ever seen, the warden claims the unusual atmosphere here is effective. >> translator: it was a conscious decision the area you seen didn't exist before. the park gs, the sports facility we built that to make the serving of sentences ezier. we haven't had major problems there is no large scale violence. coming up next, a lock-up world tour. one of the newest and most high tech maximum security prisons in

eastern europe. it's built to house not only killers and kidnappers, but the leaders of poland's organized crime rings. spark miles gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card. the spark card earns double miles... so we really had to up our game. with spark, the boss earns double miles on every purchase, every day. that's setting the bar pretty high. owning my own business has never been more rewarding. coming through! [ male announcer ] introducing spark the small business credit cards from capital one. get more by choosing unlimited double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. what's in your wallet? [ male announcer ] for our town. [ dog barks ] for our country. ♪ for our future. ♪ this isn't just the car we wanted to build. it's the car america had to build. ♪ the extended range electric chevy volt.

from the heart of detroit to the health of the country, chevy runs deep. on my feet and exactly where i needed more support. then, i got my number. my tired, achy feet affected my whole life. until i found my number. i tried the free dr. scholl's foot mapping center. in two minutes, i got my foot map and custom number. i'm a 440. that matched up to the dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic inserts with the right support and cushioning i need. i am a believer. i'm a believer! i'm a believer. go to drscholls.com to find your closest walmart with a foot mapping center.

it could be very abrasive. if the surface gets abraded, it's just the environment that bacteria likes to nestle into and they can cause the odor. your denture needs to be cleaned gently on a daily basis. i like to recommend polident, it kills the bacteria without causing any abrasion. when my patients follow my instructions, their dentures feel clean and fresh. they look forward to putting them in their mouth and smiling.

>> narrator: located nearly 75 miles to the southwest of warsaw, lies poland's third largest city. on the edge of town, is the nation's newest penal facility, built in 2003, it holds 619 inmates including some of the most dangerous in poland. >> you walk through the gates, you're surrounded by just everything latest, greatest, high tech security, pretty amazing, actually. most high tech facility i've ever been in. they were very proud of it, very proud of the technology. >>. >> narrator: even our crew was subjected to stringent security measures. scott is our audio technician. like all visitors, he must first pass through a state of the art

x-ray scanning machine. used to prevent smuggling. >> translator: this device is used on persons visiting dangerous inmates and inmates that were before in car ration, eggs posed to drugs. this device is accurate but also very safe and detects organic objects and inside the person, money, cell phones, drugs, hidden in hair, on the body, in natural cavities. we had an incident a woman was trying to smuggle amphetamine in her tampon which she inserted inside. >> narrator: in a prison that house what's are considered some of poland's most dangerous criminals, technology is only one part of the security equation. >> translator: two inmates members of organized crime were communicating with other inmates in other areas, they refused to leave the area, our negotiations with the inmates did not

succeed, that is why we made the decision to bring in an intervention unit. >> we knew before we arrived on the actual scene that it was a drill, simply a drill. but at the moment that we walked up, it was so life-like and real that we thought wait a second, did they happen to stumble on a real situation on their way to the drill? [ screaming ] . >> they were in character, doing as they were trained to do and the officers that were playing the part of the inmates were not making it easy on any of these guys, they were going full board to try to get the guys to mess up. [ screaming ] >> narrator: it's also no coincidence the inmates portrayed in this drill were

supposed to be organized crime offenders. since the fall of communism in 1989, poland has seen a sharp uptick in organized crime and its members are filling polish prisons. officials say this man is the leader of an organized crime syndicate. he is serving four years for multiple offenses, including commission of murder. >> translator: if three people, three people commit the crime together they are called an organized crime, criminal group, they get sentenced as a criminal group. >> how many people died in your case, how many people were murdered in your case? >> translator: one. >> how was this person murdered? >> translator: person was suffocated, strangulation. >> do you consider yourself -- >> translator: i don't consider myself to be a dangerous person i'm a normal person. if someone gets on my nerves,

people's stupidity gets on my nerves the most. i can't stand people's stupid y stupidity, i get upset. if something is funny, i laugh. i have feelings like any other person. >> he just had a certain charisma about him, and a lot of inmates cut off from society for a long period of time they are in a personal communications skill aren't that great. his were amazing. but he didn't want to get too detailed about his crime, or his background in organized crime so he kind of spoke in metaphorical responses, often quoting philosophers, great literary authors, which for me was a little unusual in dealing with an inmate. >> translator: maybe i will say this. one time in the 16th century there was a polish philosopher and he said this, the law in poland is like a spider's web, a big fly will get through, a

small one will get stuck. i came to a conclusion that you have to find strength within yourself. >> narrator: and he would soon show us that strength was one thing he didn't lack. >> we were able to come back half an hour, 45 minutes later and they opened up the security door and he's in there in sun glasses, a full like work-out suit, water bottles altogether and the guy is is ripped. he's big, a big guy. and he makes it out well this is just the cell work out, this is nothing. this is all i can do right here. >> i was a little shocked by his workout outfit, again, i'm used to seeing guys in the prison issued shorts and he was decked out. in this professional-looking fitness gear. so i kind of made a joke with him and i said, you're going to get a lot of letters from female

american television viewers, "lockup" viewers that delighted him. >> narrator: he was clear about the woman that interested him the most. one of the stars of his favorite tv show. >> translator: wilma flintstone is my ideal woman. >> is fred the ideal man? >> translator: no, no, fred is cool but a little infantile. >> narrator: coming up on "lock up world tour" a 13th century castle houses an infamous lifer. >> translator: i was sentenced to life in prison for committing five murders. with no vegetable nutrition? ♪ [ gong ] strawberry banana!

[ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8. ♪ [ male announcer ] offering four distinct driving modes and lexus' dynamic handling, the next generation of lexus will not be contained. the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. ♪ that's how it is with alzheimer's disease. she needs help from me. and her medication. the exelon patch -- it releases medication continuously for twenty-four hours. she uses one exelon patch daily for the treatment of mild to moderate alzheimer's symptoms. [ female announcer ] it cannot change the course of the disease. hospitalization and rarely death have been reported in patients who wore more than one patch at a time. the most common side effects of exelon patch

are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. the likelihood and severity of these side effects may increase as the dose increases. patients may experience loss of appetite or weight. patients who weigh less than 110 pounds may experience more side effects. people at risk for stomach ulcers who take certain other medicines should talk to their doctor because serious stomach problems such as bleeding may worsen. people with certain heart conditions may experience slow heart rate. [ woman ] whenever i needed her, she was there for me. now i'm here for her. [ female announcer ] ask the doctor about your loved one trying the exelon patch. visit exelonpatch.com to learn more.

i'm melissa rehberger.

president obama reached a compromise on his mandate requiring religious institutions to provide birth control. he now says insurers must do it instead. gabriel giffords were at the a pentagon for the announcement of a ship named in her honor. rick santorum addressed activists that says he is one sharing their values. now back to "lockup." >> narrator: 100 miles east of prague is the czech republic, considered the green heart of the nation, the highlands consists of small villages, an equal number of men lived in a

castle. >> the films was extremely difficult in the sense that every where you turned there is a beautiful shot. you want to stop and you want to oh, there is another one, let's stop. get another shot. but we just didn't have that kind of time. we had other elements in the story to capture and different people we wanted to talk to, but you could spend all day, two days, three days just shooting beautiful, incredible architecture-type shots. >> narrator: the nation's oldest prison, it was built in the mid 13th century to protect the land holdings of a local bishop. it was first used as a prison in the 14th century. today it's a maximum security institution that houses the czech republic's most notorious criminals. it has been called the czech alcatraz. >> translator: that is just because of the type of convicts that we have here in the prison.

that means convicts in maximum security and those serving life sentences. as of today we counted 163 convicts are here for murder, 87 for assault and robbery, 20 for rape, 37 for theft. they are housed in cells holding between 8 to 18 convicts. the ones sentenced to life are housed individually. >> narrator: in the u.s. there are currently more than 140,000 inmates serving life sentences. in the czech republic, where the death penalty was banned in 1990, there are only 35 lifers. otto bitterman is one of the most infamous. >> translator: i was sentenced to life in prison for committing five murders. >> he was a notorious criminal. his case was very notorious, to me he was very pleasant person to deal with. he was very polite, very calm, mild-mannered. he was a very affable guy.

>> narrator: bitterman led a small gang that robbed and killed four men and one woman over a three-year span. >> translator: it actually started when i got in a certain gang of friends with whom i had common interests as far as weapons and drinking alcohol and having parties. and for things like that of course you need money. and of course as a young kid i didn't feel like working, but on the other hand, i wanted to have money. >> how many people did you personally murder, otto? >> translator: myself, personally, i actually killed three people, but i participated in all five of the murders. >> narrator: bitterman buried one of the victims in his own backyard. >> translator: in the movie it looks real easy, you hit the guy, he falls down and he's eliminated, you know? he's knocked out so he's out of the way. you know, but in reality it's different. the guy started to fight back and then it turned in a knife fight. and then it turned in a murder.

i know that people say and write things about me that i'm a cold-blooded murderer, there is no such thing as a cold-blooded murderer, because every time you decide to take someone else's life it's such a mental strain on you. it's so much stress, it's so hard on your nerves, there is just no way to describe it. >> narrator: bitterman escaped execution because of the nation's decision to abolish the death penalty. instead, he will spend nearly every hour of every day confined to a cell. life for some of the general bop youlation inmates offers a little more diversity as our crew soon discovered. >> we were actually filming in another area of the prison and heard some music. took us over and there is a heavy metal rock band in a little room, kind of rehearsing and playing, and i think that was one of the elements that the staff thought was good for the

inmates, to spend time blowing off steam. >> narrator: though not a common sight, we visited american prisons with band rooms as well. but one as respect of the inmate population provided the most striking difference of all. >> eastern european prisons, was predominantly caucasian inmates. whereas in american prisons, there are a variety of ethnicities, tensions exist between ethnicitieethnicities. >> narrator: one group is called roma, that has taken root throughout nations. known as gypsies with the reputation for being con artists and thieves. pavel is roma and been here for 10.5 years for multiple counts of robbery and theft. >> translator: we don't have any rights here, there are skinheads, we are attacked by

them all the time. the government of the czech republic doesn't do anything about it. we don't have any rights here. as far as we, roma are concerned, i'm kind of afraid of getting out i don't know how things will go with me. >> according to him, he grew up as a gypsy, learning how to rob and be a thief and that is all he ever knew, and that is basically he was in and out of of prison a number of times. >> narrator: when we met him, he was weeks away from his release date and his prospects did not look good. >> translator: i don't know, i don't know what will happen to me. my parents have died, my grandmother and grandpa, i don't have anyone. i'm an orfan, i'm 42 years old, i don't know where i will go. i don't know because here in the czech republic there is a lot of racism and i'm roma and afraid of coming back here. i don't know what i'm going to do.

>> narrator: next on "lockup world tour." >> over 1000 people executed. >> a prison deals with notorious past. some of the country's most dangerous offenders. the world ns more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪

it's if something is simply the color of gold, is it really worth more? we don't think so. chase sapphire preferred is a card of a different color.

that's because you always get two times the points on travel, from taxis to trains, airfare to hotels, and all kinds of dining... from fast food to fine dining. and that's not all you get. there are expert advisors who answer immediately, whenever you call. and absolutely no foreign transaction fees. does your card do all that? apply today and earn 50,000 ultimate rewards bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. that's $625 toward your next trip when you redeem through ultimate rewards. so, why settle for gold when you can have so much more? chase sapphire preferred. a card of a different color. call the number on your screen or visit our website to apply.

>> narrator: located in the heart of the nation, warsaw is the capital and large yefrt city in poland. it's known as the phoenix city because of a history of rising from the ashes of war and oppression over the course of centuries. on one busy downtown street is a

flash point of warsaw's volatile past. the prison. >> been to over 20 american prisoner, they are usually located in remote areas, far from cities for security reasons. we're on these busy streets, massive blue doors open up and we enter into this facility and when we were inside and i was standing on prison grounds, i would look up and see apartment buildings surrounding us, businesses. >> narrator: it was built in 1904. it used to be called the place of no return. between world war ii and the fall of communism in 1989, it housed a countless number of freedom fighters, many of whom were tortured and killed in mass

executions. a monument on the prison wall honors the victims. >> there were probably over 1000 people who had been tortured and executed at this prison during the various ra jeems. there were a number of staff members who made a comment to me they felt they have seen ghosts there, have felt ghosts there, that there is a weight of what transpired at that particular prison. >> narrator: today, it houses inmates because of their crimes instead of their beliefs. it's a maximum security prison with more than 900 inmates including some of the most notorious in poland. officials claim they rarely have disruptions, that might be because of the special response team is always prepared for the worst. [ screaming ] >> we were told ahead of time they were going to have a demonstration for us from their special response team. so we set up for it and were prepared but when it actually

started, they did it with such intensity and authenticity i was taken aback. i heard gunfire, they were screaming their commands. was a very autyou a authentic presentation for us. >> narrator: the prison has one other effective megged on of maintaining control. behind these walls are some of the most dangerous and violent prisoners in poland. they are segregated in this high security housing unit called n-block. >> translator: this is a pavillion for dangerous inmates. this is a jail inside a jail. >> narrator: n stands for the polish word for "dangerous." ours was the first television crew ever allowed inside. >> upon entering the facility,

what i noted most was the fact i could not see any inmates. in american prisons, there is always some kind of window, even in the super maxes. they have these little peepholes they will look in before opening up, that struck me as highly unusual. >> as you opened the doors, there were bars, it was a two-tiered system i had not seen before. the security door and then the bars themselves. >>. >> narrator: the solid doors are to prevent inmates from communicating with one another. they rarely leave their cells and even their meals are brought to them. but we found that the cells different from most american high security cells in two ways. in american prisoner, cameras are placed in common areas. here they are actually inside each cell. likeweiss there is one area here

that offers the kind of privacy that we would never seen in the states. >> translator: let me show you the bathroom. this is the standard bathroom for n-unit. >> in an american prison, all the toilets are out in the open. in this prison, people could actually walk in their bathroom and shut a door and have privacy. >> translator: that is the law. >> narrator: one 24-year-old inmate agreed to speak with us. he is serving a life sentence for murder and says his problems began after borrowed money from a friend to buy drugs. >> translator: i did not have money to pay my debt and he said he help me but i have to go somewhere with him. i was stupid enough to agree to pay my debt this way. >> narrator: the two men attempted to burglarize a home. >> translator: my job was to search the house and not hurt anyone. nobody was supposed to be -- it

just happened. a man is dead. the prosecution claims i participated that i must have hit him, i was in a different session of the house, i didn't even know the man was being beaten. >> he told me he was suffering from depression when he first became incarcerated and he had a young child, and he had already lost two years with that young child and he was uncertain whether or not he would have a relationship with his own child. >> translator: i ask myself all the time why can't i hold my son in my arms? because my visits don't allow that and my son tells me daddy, remove the bars and he tried to get his head through. i can't hold him. i can't cuddle with him in my arms. >> narrator: outside n-block are the general population housing units. >> one thing i notice shooed out were the number of inmates in

the cells. they were almost like small d m dorms, four, five, six people. >> had a homey atmosphere. a lot of personal effects. crocheted blankets on the beds. >> narrator: like american counterparts, the officers search cells for contraband like weapons or drugs. though the drug-sniffing dog brought in to help caught our crew by surprise. >> i'm preparing myself to see a german shephard, rottweiler, the top of dogs i have seen in america prisons we are not allowed to go near. here comes this happy cocker spaniel, right out of a disney movie. >> that was the drug dog. not intimidating, just a lap dog. so excited went in that cell and did its job and the handler was excited and working together as

a team. >> the rapport the officer had with the dog was almost like somebody with a pet. after the search was completed, the officer then started playing with it, putting the ball in the mouth and spinning it around, this dog was just all floppy ear and happy. >> how often do you -- >> translator: at the beginning she was finding more, now the inmates are more careful. >> narrator: this man has been especially careful. >> translator: get packing. >> narrator: after serving one year for theft, we were there on the day of his release. >> translator: well, i lost 12 months you could say, 12 months doesn't seem like a lot but it is a lot because this time has been very stressful. i feel amazing but i still don't quite feel the freedom. i think when i'm far away from

here that's when i will be certain that i'm free. >> he actually walked outside, stepped outside, he was set into freedom, he walked on to this busy street in warsaw and just disappeared in the crowd. if you had just seen him walking out the door, nobody would even think he was an inmate he was just released from a prison. mare co >> narrator: coming up next. >> translator: i have a daughter here i have no one on the outside to take care of her. >> narrator: a womans prison with an unusual approach to rehabilitation. the two trains as rider. the "i'll sleep when it's done" academic. for 80 years, we've been inspired by you. and we've been honored to walk with you to help you get where you want to be. ♪

because your moment is now. let nothing stand in your way. learn more at keller.edu. i'm always looking for new ways to help me manage my diabetes. let nothing stand in your way. take a look at this. freestyle lite test strips? they need just a third the blood of onetouch ultra. really? and the unique zipwik tab targets the blood and pulls it in. wow! look at that! and you can get these strips for a $15 monthly co-pay

simply by joining the freestyle promise program. alright! looks like i'm going to be testing and saving at the same time. call or click today and join for free. test easy. gives you a 50 percent annual bonus. so you earn 50 percent more cash. if you're not satisfied with 50% more cash, send it back! i'll be right here, waiting for it. who wouldn't want more cash? [ insects chirping ] i'll take it. i'll make it rain up in here. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? sorry i'll clean this up. shouldn't have made it rain.

>> narrator: once known for glass worker, the czech republic city is now home to the nation's

largest womans prison named after the town, it houses 600 women. only 8% of them are convicted of violent crimes. and that puts 34-year-old in a smaller minority. >> translator: i was sentenced for two murders. >> narrator: she is in the 12th year of a 21 year sentence for her role in the killings. >> translator: i was just at the wrong place at the wrong time when -- it's very difficult, you know. >> who shot these two people? >> translator: in the verdict it's written that i did. so that is the end of the story. but because i'm going to get out some day, i have to come to terms with it, so that i will be able to connect to some kind of a future. >> narrator: she is still years away from her reless, but is preparing for it now. she works for the prison maintenance department, doing

everything from mowing lawns to painting furniture. her passion is elsewhere. >> you can't really write some of the things we experience in these prisons. you can't script them. because here you have a person that is convicted of a double murder, what she does as part of her time and therapy, she puts on puppet shows for children. childrens theater. >>. >> translator: these puppet shows for the children. we go to the schools to make someone happy with them. >> comparing this prison to american prisons, there was a different vibe, i have to say. i would attribute to that the warden. she was pretty focused on reintegrating the women back in society, she had different means of doing that. >> narrator: in fact, prison

director recited the long list of rehabilitative programs. more than we've even countered at any prison ever profiled on "lockup." >> translator: we have a family school right inside the prison. they learn the basics of home making, how to cook, there is gardening, exercise, music programs. >> narrator: arguably the establishment of a mother-child living unit, this special unit allows inmates with clean behavior records to live full-time with their babies between one and three years old. holds up to 15 mothers and 20 children. and is the only one of its kind in the czech republic. >> translator: i have a daughter here because i have no one on the outside to take care of her. i think the best thing for her is to be with her mommy. >> narrator: this woman is serving two years for armed robbery and related drug offenses. she was pregnant at the time of her conviction. but was allowed to delay

incarceration until her daughter vanessa was a-year-old. six weeks later, vanessa was allowed to join her. >> translator: i couldn't make it without my girl. she is my firth baby, i'm attached to her, better to raise the child here. >> women have their own rooms, large room decorated for a child. wearing non-prison issued clothes. it's a communal atmosphere. some of the kids were participating, so for a brief moment it did feel like you're outside a prison, you're in this lovely environment with happy moms and babies. >> narrator: there is also a down side. >> translator: i have a beautiful, healthy daughter, i can't give her what i would give her outside, outings, walks, so on, it's sad in here.

one day i will have to tell her, i won't want her to suffer for it. fur. >> over all i think shooting in eastern europe the one common theme was rehabilitation. people we talked to seemed really focused on rehabilitation of the inmates. and i think in some cases honestly speaking, when we visit the prisons in the united states, some of that might be lost. in just the sheer numbers that are being housed and the amount of resources that they have to put in other places. eastern europe it really felt like they were still focusing on the rehabilitation aspect of the prison system.