i look good. see, i like that. thank you. thank you. whenever folks see me, they say, you know, you look okay, like they're surprised. then sometimes they say i like taller than i do on tv. i say, yeah, that's because the tv is small. it makes me look smaller. look, it is thanks to the grit, to the resilience of working americans that this country we love, it's recovered faster, it's come farther than almost any other advanced economy. for the first time in more than a decade, business leaders around the world, when you ask them, where do you want to invest, what's the number one place to invest? they don't say china.

they don't say germany. they say the united states of america. usa! >> usa! usa! usa! usa! >> so, look, i'm saying all this just because sometimes, you know, if you're watching tv, it's just kind of a whole downer. we got struggles. we got work to do. but there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about america. more folks are working. the economy's growing stronger. the engineses a are revving a le

louder. the question now is, are we going to make the right decisions to accelerate this progress? are we going to continue to focus on working families? are we going to continue to make sure that a growing economy gives everybody rising incomes and wages? are we going to make sure that we're helping the middle class and everybody who's trying to get into the middle class? you know, it's a good thing that corporate profits are high. i want american businesses to succeed. it's a good thing that the stock market's booming. you know, a lot of folks have 401(k)s in there. i want them to feel good. but i also want to see the guy who's breaking his back on two eight-hour shifts so he's got enough money to send his kids to college. i want to make sure that guy's getting a break. i want to make sure he's getting

some help. i want to see that woman who's worked for 40 years be able to retire with some dignity and some respect. that's how i measure progress, not just by how well the economy's doing overall. but how it's doing for folks who are working so hard. doing everything right. just want a fair shot and didn't have anything handed to them in their lives. weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths. and the reason that's who i'm thinking about is because that's the family i grew up in. that's the family michelle's family grew up in. this country gave me a chance. it gave michelle a chance. i believe in the american dream because i have lived it. [ applause ] and i ran for this office to restore it for everybody.

so no matter what you look like and no matter where you came from, no matter how you started, you can make it in america if you try. [ applause ] so that's what's at stake right now. that's what's at stake, making sure the economy works for everybody. i've got a vision of an economy where opportunities are open to everybody who's willing to work hard. i want an economy where new long-term investments in american energy and american infrastructure and american manufacturing and american innovation are unleashing new jobs and new industries right here in wisconsin, right here in milwaukee. an economy where our workers have the chance to earn new skills that lead to that good job. where our children graduate from

school fully prepared for the global competition they're going to face. i want an economy where your hard work pays off with higher wages and higher income and fair pay for women and workplace flexibility for parents. and affordable health insurance and decent retirement benefits. i'm not asking for the moon. i just want a good deal for american workers. [ cheers and applause [ cheers and applause ] you know, sometimes when i talk about this stuff to some of my folks on the other side of the aisle, they're all like, well, why are you stirring up class resentments? i'm not stirring up class resentme resentment. let me tell you something. working families, they -- they're fine that folks are

rich. you know, the average person, they're not looking for a yacht. they're not looking for their own plane. they're not looking for a mansion. they don't need to be vacationing in st. bart's. all they're looking for is that if they work hard, they can pay the bills. that they can send their kids to school. they can retire with some dignity. maybe take a vacation once in a while. go to wisconsin dells or something. they're not looking for nothing fancy. [ cheers and applause ] that's where michelle and i used to take malia and sasha. we'd be in that water so long, fingers all pruned up.

and there are a lot of little kids in there, which made you a little suspicious about the water. i'm just saying. that was not in the prepared remarks. now, most of the policies i'm talking about have two things in common. they're going to help more working families get ahead, and the republicans who run our congress oppose almost all of them. [ booing ] don't boo, vote. don't boo, vote. it's easy to boo. i want you to vote. yeah, don't boo, vote.

they oppose almost everything. i'm not making that up. i'm just telling the truth. it's just the facts. in fact, they oppose stuff they used to be for. it's true. i mean, they used to be for building roads and bridges and all that. suddenly, no, we can't build roads. well, why not? because you proposed it. i am just telling truth. the sky is blue today. milwaukee brats are delicious. the brewers are tied for first place. and republicans in congress love to say no. those are just facts. they're facts of life. they say no to everything. if we had a congress that cared about policies that actually helped working people, i promise

you we could get everything done that we've talked about doing. but until we have that congress, it's up to us to fight for these policies. so wherever i can, i've acted on my own. i acted on my own to make sure more women had protections they needed to fight for fair pay on the workplace because i think when women succeed, america succeeds. i want raised by a single mom. so i know how hard it is for a lot of women out there. and by the way, men, you should want your wife to get paid fair. she's bringing that money home. that's not a women's issue. that's your issue. that's money out of your family's pocket. that's why i took action on my own to give millions of americans the chance to cap

their student loan payments at 10% of their incomes. i don't want young people saddled with debt when they're just starting out in life. that's why i acted on my own to make sure companies that receive federal contracts that they pay their workers a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour. if you work full time in america, you shouldn't be living in poverty. you shouldn't be trying to support a family on poverty. and in the year and a half since i first asked congress to raise the minimum wage, of course the republicans in congress have blocked it. but more and more americans are doing their part to make it happen. this is why i stay optimistic, even with some of the nonsense that goes on in washington. you've seen business leaders at

companies like the gap that raised base wages for tens of thousands of workers because they knew it was good for business. you've seen mayors across the country doing their part. today on labor day, the mayor of los angeles is announcing a plan to raise his city's minimum wage. here's a good story. last month the president of kentucky state university, he gave himself a $90,000 pay cut so that he could raise wages for his lowest paid employees. [ applause ] 13 states, district of columbia, they've raised their minimum wages. four more states are putting minimum wage initiatives on the ballot in november. and you know what? here's the best part. you'll hear opponents, and they'll say, well, minimum wage,

they're going to kill jobs. except it turns out the states where the minimum wage has gone up this year had higher job growth than the states that didn't raise the minimum wage. that's the facts. all across the country right now there's a national movement going on made up of fast food workers organizing to lift wages so they can provide for their families with pride and dignity. there is no denying a simple truth. america deserves a raise. folks are doing very well on wall street. they're doing very well in the corporate boardrooms. give america a raise. and i think eventually congress is going to hear them. we'll break those folks down. we'll just stay on them. we'll just keep at it. that's how i got michelle to marry me. i just wore her down.

persistence. you just stay at it. because the only thing more powerful than an idea whose time is come is when millions of people are organizing around an idea whose time has come. millions of people are voting for an idea whose time has come. i know it gets frustrating though, when it feels like your voices aren't heard in washington. i promise you, i share that frustration. after all that unions have done to build and protect working americans, i know it's frustrating when people have the gall to blame you for the problems facing working americans. i know you've got some experience with that around here. but you know what? if i were looking for a good job

that lets me build some security for my family, i'd join a union. if i were busting my butt in the service industry and wanted an honest day's pay for an honest day's work, i'd join a union. if i were a firefighter or a police officer risking my life and helping to keep my community safe and wanting to make sure i came home safely to my family, i'd join a union. i'd want a union looking out for me. and if i cared about these things, i'd also want more democrats looking out for me. i'm just saying. because when the rest of the country is working to raise wages but republicans in

congress won't, it ain't right. not only is it not right, it ain't right. when the rest of the country is working to open up more businesses but republicans in congress block investments that would help more businesses grow, it ain't right. when unions and ceos, when law enforcement and the evangelical community, when folks who usually don't agree on anything agree that we should be fixing our broken immigration system but the republicans in the house of representatives have been sitting on a bill for more than a year, it ain't right. so that's why we have to keep fighting. at the beginning of the last century, people fought against

the idea of a 40-hour workweek. they fought against weekends. they thought against workplace safety laws. 80 years ago people fought against the idea of social security. 50 years ago people fought against the idea of medicare. but guess what? we won those fights. and just like in the past, today you still got people fighting against the right for health care for everybody. or the right to fair wages. or they even fight against equal pay for equal work. but we'll win those fights too. i promise. and i know that because america is the story of progress. it can be slow, yes. it can be frustrating. sometimes you get half a loaf where you wanted the whole loaf. sometimes you might just get a quarter of a loaf.

but if you look at our history, the story is progress. and that's because there have always been americans who have had the courage to march and to organize and to fight for themselves but then also to fight for each other. and i'm asking you to do the same thing. i asked you the same thing back in 2008. i'm asking you to believe not just in my ability to bring about the change we need. i'm asking you to believe in yours. i'm asking you to believe in you. because even when our politics just ain't right, there's a whole lot that is right with america. america's that dad who punches in every morning to put food on the table. america's the mom who's working the graveyard shift to provide for her kids. america's the child who dreams of being the first in his family

to go to college. america's the teacher who stays after work and dips into her own pocket for supplies to help that child get there. america's the auto worker who thought she'd never make another car again and now she can't make them fast enough. america's the construction worker who's helping build more homes and businesses to get solar panels on the top. america is on the move. america is on the move. america is not the party we belong to but the values we share. america is hard work. america is responsibility. america's sacrifice. america's looking out for one another. let's embrace some economic patriotism that says we rise or fall together as one nation, as one people.

don't reward companies that ship jobs and profits overseas. reward companies that are investing right here in milwaukee. let's make sure our fellow citizens have access to good childcare and preschool and college and health care. let's make sure women get fair pay. let's make sure working moms and dads can get a day off if their child is sick or their parents are having a tough time. let's make sure nobody who's working full time is raising their family in poverty. these ideas are not un-american. they're how we built america. together. i tell you, milwaukee, the hardest thing in life is changing a stubborn status quo. it's even harder when it seems like some of the folks in power, all they care about is keeping power. but there are plenty of folks

who count on you to get cynical and not vote because you don't think you can make a difference. that's how they're going to stay in power. they believe you won't get involved. they believe you won't organize. they believe you won't vote. and that way the special interests stay in power, and they will try to divide us. and they'll try to distract you. and they'll try to run the okie-doke on you and bamboozle you and hoodwink you. don't buy it. don't buy it. because despite the cynics, america's on the move. it's making progress. despite all the opposition, there are workers who have jobs now who didn't have them before. there are families with health insurance who didn't have them before. there are students going to college who couldn't afford it before. there are troops who were in afghanistan who are coming home.

cynicism is fashionable these days. but cynicism didn't put anybody on the moon. cynicism never won a war and never cured a disease. it never started a business. it never fed a young mind. it never built a road or a bridge. cynicism is a bad choice. hope is the better choice. hope is what gives us courage. hope is what gave soldiers courage to storm a beach. hope is what gives young people the strength to march for women's rights and workers' rights and civil rights and gay rights and immigration rights. hope, the belief that there are better days ahead. the belief that together we can build up our middle class and hand down something better to our kids.

that's what builds america. and america's best days are still ahead. i believe it. you need to believe it too. let's get to work. thank you. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> that is barack obama wrapping up there in milwaukee. let's bring in nbc's chris jansing at the white house. chris, labor day is always the unofficial start to the fall campaign season. definitely sounded like some campaigning, did not? >> oh, this is the president in full campaign mode. you can see he was enjoying it, rolling up his sleeves. of course, he had a very receptive audience in milwaukee. you saw all the shirts from the various unions. these are labor workers. they're the folks who help get him elected twice. they're the folks who he hopes will go back to the polls this fall because obviously there is a message here. it's about organizing. it's about getting out the vote. you heard that. and this has been ground zero for the labor movement, as you know, for the last several

years, ever since that act that basically got many of the workers' rights. scott walker, the governor there, who pushed act ten, is up for re-election. so there's a local message. already labor has been organized. they want to vote him out of office. it's a tight race there. also, there's a broader message to the country, to african-american workers with his economic message. he wants to say, we've moved the economy forward. i'm still fighting for you, but to do more, you have to get out and vote this fall, milissa. >> all right. chris jansing at the white house. thank you. ed o'keefe is the congressional reporter for "the washington post." he joins us now. what do you think today's speech means? >> i think it's a preview of what you're going to see from the president throughout the fall as he hits up the very few states where he can actually go and deliver this message without facing a lot of opposition. there was a poll out last week that shows the president has a 48% approval rating in the badger state of wisconsin. that's below 50%, but that's pretty good compared to some other states that have closely

watched governor and senate and house races this year. so you'll see him take a similar message to places like illinois, michigan, california, pennsylvania, florida. places that have hotly contested gubernatorial and house races. not too many senate races. you won't see him show up in places like little rock or manchester, new hampshire, charlotte, north carolina, charleston, west virginia. those states, those cities, ground zero for some of the more competitive races where democrats are at a disadvantage. i think what you saw today here is an attempt by the president to sort of remind people that, look, it's been a rough summer, but there's a lot of good things for him to talk about when it comes to the economy, the fiscal policy, energy policy, and, yes, one thing he only mentioned briefly, health care. it is a message that he intends to continue delivering throughout the fall. we'll see if it sticks. >> he has a number of foreign policy issues on his plate as well. they're very complicated. as we go forward toward midterm elections, how do you think he will try to keep voters focused on what he wants them to focus on? >> well, he's got to give more speeches like this.

i think there are probably some democrats who watched this thinking, where's this guy been all summer? this was a spirited defense of his administration, of the democratic ideals. something he has not spent a lot of time doing in recent weeks, in recent months. of course, labor day is the kingoff, as chris jansing said. what he's trying to do here is remind democrats, these are the things you can run on, these are the things you should be proud of. this is what you should be talking about as you try to get out voters. foreign policy, he'll deal with that from the white house. and that'll just sort of have to run separate from what he's trying to do here. >> chris jansing at the white house, ed o'keefe, thank you for coming in on this labor day. now back to "lockup." >> i didn't have to put a certain face in there because this pretty much resembles all the females in my life that's hurting while i'm in here. pretty much resembles my daughter, my mom, my sisters. >> this is a portrait of my girl and this is her name below it. she better be happy for that, that's all i can really say. not too many guys go through

that right there. >> what does that say? who is that? >> serenity. my daughter. my pride and joy. >> that's my baby. he ain't no baby no more. he's 8 now. yeah. he was like 16 months when i got locked up. >> that's my mom and my grandma right there. i got my whole family on my leg. my kids, mom and dad. nieces and nephews. >> i've got memorial tattoos on my stomach from my grandfather. i've got a largemouth bass. right? right? he was a fisherman and i wanted to be original. right? >> this is my son. he passed away while i was in here last june. >> no. >> my baby son. he was going to be 2 years old. rest in peace. my little angel watching over me, man. every one of these got a story behind it. a lot of blood and sweat and work go into it.

rest in peace for my son, man. >> but not everyone wants to remember. some inmates wish they could erase their ink. >> if i could acid dip my whole body and take off every tattoo, i would. it's embarrassing to my family when i take my shirt off at functions. but they accept me for who i am. they know me past the tattoos. don't read a book by its cover. i wish i didn't have none of these, believe it or not. now that i have them and i'm stuck with them, it tells a life story. >> things you do when you're young will haunt you until you die. believe that. straight up. in more ways than one. coming up -- >> i've been in the restaurant business for almost 15 years. >> the "lockup" guide to fine dining. prison style. >> you guys can go to lunch without me today. it's actually pretty good. and challenges yet unmet, new friendships to forge, and old ones to renew. it's more than a job.

and they're more than just our students. so welcome back, to the students, and to the educators. ready to teach. and ready to learn. i don't have to leave my desk and get up and go to the post office anymore. [ male announcer ] with stamps.com you can print real u.s. postage for all your letters and packages. i have exactly the amount of postage i need, the instant i need it. can you print only stamps? no... first class. priority mail. certified. international. and the mail man picks it up.

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here's what's happening. president obama just wrapped up his campaign-style labor day speech in milwaukee, pushing for a higher minimum wage, equal pay, and a chance to help more middle-class families. he also sent a letter to house

speaker john boehner on iraq. the u.s. military has pummelled isis with rocket attacks. and actress jennifer lawrence is calling for an investigation after photos were leaked through icloud. now back to "lockup." due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. ♪ >> if there's one place to discover the blues, it's in the nation's prisons and jails. incarceration brings not only the lack of freedom but cramped quarters and the ever present threat of violence. but we found one of the most discussed and reviled aspects of prison life is the food. >> this is the jungle.

you want to eat, you came to the wrong place. >> we're not [ bleep ] animals. we're not dogs. you feed dogs. you serve us chow. >> and portion sizes rarely compare to those on the streets. >> this is for little kids. that's why we pray. pray for canteen. >> should focus on how little these [ bleep ] trays is. grown ass men eating these little ass trays. see these little ass portions, y'all? they got to do something about this [ bleep ] >> these meals aren't even enough if you're anorexic. >> ain't no sunshine in this jail. but the biggest complaint is the taste. >> the food is ridiculous. it's slop. i wouldn't even feed that kind of food to my animals. >> the food is disgusting. >> [ bleep ] nasty. i don't know what that is.

i don't know what that is. i don't know what that is. and a green banana. >> help us. please, people, help us. >> i've been filming inside prisons for a long time and i think i can count on one hand the number of inmates that not only have said that the food is good but that the food is okay. acceptable. literally one hand. >> prison food is good. >> what's that? >> i said prison food's good. >> you are officially the first person that we have ever heard say that. >> it's a different story at the maricopa county jail in phoenix where the food delivery system -- well, you can see for yourself. >> this is kibbles and bits and beefy bits right here. i mean dark food. >> this would [ bleep ] make you go crazy. get to hurting people. >> i don't even know what i have. >> but that reaction is exactly the one the man who runs the jail strives for. sheriff joe arpaio says he simply wants to motivate inmates to not come back.

>> our meals went up from 15 cents to 18. i'm not too happy with that. you know, we have a little inflation. we give them two meals a day. >> brunch. >> this is it. that's all you get until dinnertime. >> usually a bologna sandwich, an orange, donated cookies. and at night they get a hot meal. >> a lot of these guys won't talk up but i'm going tell you what i think. the food here is garbage, bro. >> you don't eat it? >> no. >> how come? >> the only reason i eat is the fruit. the only reason i take the tray is so that i can talk to everybody in the run. because when they give you your food, the trap stays opened until they pick it up. i don't eat it, though. >> we throw more of it away than we eat, honestly. the food that we get -- >> well, once you serve it you can't use it for anything else. do you have food in wyoming? >> we do. and we recognize it. no, but seriously. >> i've got more people in jail than you have in your whole state. >> you've got that right.

>> the two meals for every one of its 8,000 inmates, the maricopa county jail churns out 16,000 meals per day. they're all prepared at the facility's food factory, where the vast majority of the workers are inmates. >> we have close to 100 inmates working each day. they work eight-hour days. they work from around 5:00 in the morning until 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon and come in around 3:00 and work until 10:00 or 11:00 at night depending on what shift they're assigned to. many of the conditions are very extreme. very, very cold in a lot of the areas. some are very warm, wet. they still have to come here and work hard because it's necessary to get our production done. >> rather than eat the food provided to them -- >> sorry. can't do it. >> one group of female inmates regularly made a super dessert out of a variety of lesser desserts, all bought from the jail canteen.

>> it looks pretty gross, huh. >> we take it and process it in the bag. >> now that it's in the blender, it's gross, huh? just the bottom part is 2,000 calories. not even all this stuff. >> they were putting honey bun, upon sugar packet, and just about everything sweet that you could find, they had poured into this cake. >> it doesn't look very tantalizing but it's really bomb. we're just going to throw them bad boys on there. i'm not martha stewart. >> that's our cake. >> the only thing i could think in my mind was oh, my gosh, i hope they don't ask me to try this. but at the same time, out of politeness, of course, i knew that they would and that i would have to sample this sugar bomb that they had just made. >> come on, try it. >> taste it. >> on camera. >> we washed our hands. >> okay.

you're going to like it. >> oh, i love it. >> do you have like a whole grain vegan version? >> come on. man bites. >> better get him some water. >> it's like the sweetest donut i've ever had. it's like man versus maricopa. this show has quickly turned into me trying everything in prison. >> we've met dozens of other inmates who make elaborate desserts from canteen items. but they also make their own entrees. they call them spreads. >> a lot of people think i make the best spread. a lot of the girls give me props on it. we'll see. >> we met mona salame at the orange county jail in southern california and she showed us a dish that has won her praise. >> there's all different ways to make a spread, but we're going

to make it with soup, popcorn, beans, pork. i love to cook everything with flavor. so i put a lot of spice into it. it will be ready in about ten minutes. so i'm going to wrap it up in the paper right now so you can keep the heat and cooks it up, because the water is not really that hot. i've been in the restaurant business for almost 15 years. so i better make the best spread. it has nothing to do with what i used to make but it's the flavor and the food and it's all the same. i'm done. >> i knew she wasn't going to eat this whole thing so when she offered it up to the crew, i felt inclined to try it. >> where am i going here? >> go wherever. go in the middle so this way you can -- >> get everything? >> go like whatever. yeah. get dirty with it. there you go. >> all right. here we go. it's actually really good.

you guys can go to lunch without me today. got me a spread. i wasn't lying to her when i told her that it was good. but on the second bite, there was a bit of a pork rind in there, and i've never even tried those before. >> you don't like the pork in it? >> huh un. >> the first bite was much better than the second bite. i appreciate that. this is a new one for me. thank you for turning me on to the spread. coming up, jail food to go. >> if you're going to take a chance getting caught, do it in a big way. >> go big or go home. right? >> and when inmates do more than play with their food, this is what they get. >> that's horrible. i don't think a dog would eat that. my name is jenny, and i quit smoking with chantix. before chantix, i tried to quit... probably about five times.

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this is the life i chose, where friends become foes, and the money gets you killed quicker than you know. jail, locked up on extended stay. on msn -- nsnbc, man, locked up wabash extended stay. msnbc, locked up wabash,

extended stay. welcome to the belly of the beast. >> we hear a lot of inmates describe prison as the belly of the beast. >> this place sucks, man. >> it's usually not used to describe prison kitchens. but that might be the most appropriate use of the phrase there is. >> our crews are always looking for ways to get these kind of iconic prison or jail shots, and the kitchen is a great place to get them, because i don't think anything really says incarceration more than seeing some bland food scooped on to an institutional tray by a 6'4" inmate covered in tattoos and the funny thing about the food is, inmates always complain about it but inevitably, they are always looking for ways to get more of it. >> this is so we don't starve later on. but if you want to see a real sack, look over there. show them what you got. >> but if you're going to do it, if you're going to take a chance at getting caught, do it in a big way. >> go big or go home.

and since we can't go home -- >> this is how we do it here. >> most inmate meals are prepared and served by other inmates. kitchen work is far from glamorous, but it has its perks. >> the reason i do it is to get out of my cell, come down here, get a little freedom, and eat a little better. >> ray slagel loved working in the kitchen at the limon correctional facility in colorado because he could trade extra food for tokens, coin slots used to purchase ice cream and soda from prison vending machines. >> two tokens. i said double cheeseburger. i should have shown you one. double cheeseburger, two tokens. that's a good deal. yeah, yeah, i can't even get them fast enough. you know. i usually sell two of those a day. >> while most menus are designed to provide a basic level of nutrition, steven doad, the food service director at the hillsboro county jail in tampa,

florida, has taken a more wholesome approach to inmate meals. >> we make up 11,000 meals a day and we have a 28-day cycle menu which has a variety for the inmates. and our last menu design we decided we were going to make this a heart healthy menu. that's the only jail in florida that i know of that does a heart healthy menu. the food has to have 2,650 calories per day. we have 33% less fat. we have 3.5 grams of sodium per day or less. there are the 100% required amounts of vitamins and minerals to make a healthy lifestyle for anyone. >> most inmates are hired for kitchen jobs based on their behavior history and the trust they've earned from staff. as opposed to any culinary experience. john powers met all of those qualifications, but he also just happened to be the real deal. >> i worked at a restaurant.

i'm a culinary chef. i'm a sous chef. i've owned a couple of steak houses in the area. a caribbean restaurant in hernando county. i've been in the food business since 1985. >> since most inmates complain about the food, we asked powers for a professional evaluation. >> it is bland. a lot of the food is bland and i agree somewhat it isn't enough food, but once you're here for a week or two weeks, you get used to it. people are eating -- used to being on the street and eating when they want and what they want. unfortunately, when you come here, that's not what you get to do. >> it's not enough to fill you, just enough to put something in your stomach to keep you going. >> there's chicken in here but the chicken is not real good chicken. very bad chicken. but, anyway, whatever. >> it is what it is. i eat to survive. >> i think that the food tastes reasonably good. what we have done is try to create neutral food tastes so if

the food is bland, at least they are not having something that they find objectionable. >> once you're here a little bit, you're like, you know what? it's really not that bad. a little salt would be nice, and pepper. but other than that, it's, you know, it is hard. >> you keep looking over your shoulder at the other chef here. how come? >> i work for him, so -- that's like the boss. so i'll make sure i don't say anything too bad. i don't want to offend him or say anything out of line. i'm sure i'll have a little talk with him when we're done with this conversation. >> back at the limon correctional facility, we encounter perhaps the most unusual of all inmate meals. prepared for us by captain hubbard it's a sort of self-contained meal for inmates who tend to throw their food in their cells, or at others. >> what we've got here is basically all of the food

groups. nine ounces of ground beef, carrots are weighed out, shredded potatoes, shredded cabbage, seven ounces. vegetable oil. bens, ten ounces, precooked. tomato puree. hopefully it will hold together fairly well. the recipe says to put it in a roll pan but this will do just fine. this should weigh out at about 3 1/2 pounds and it goes in the oven at 325 degrees. very, very nutritious dish. doesn't take it long to heat up. >> when captain hubbard made one for us, it didn't look bad. watching him make it, it was almost like making your average meatloaf but the inmates described it as being so horrible, they acted like it was the worst thing you could

possibly have. when in actuality, i'd seen things on the menu that were much worse looking than this meat loaf. >> my reputation, they don't care for it at all. i've tasted it. it's not really that bad. >> inmate carlos alexander would be his own judge. >> this is horrible. >> [ bleep ] that's good. are you for real man? this is good! >> it tastes like cardboard. y'all ought to try some of this. jake you want to eat that? >> i want salt and pepper. that's cheating though, right? >> you don't like it. >> it isn't that bad. it actually wasn't too bad. it was very bland, but if you have the right condiments, it

would have been like a standard meatloaf, almost. unfortunately, the inmates in seg never have the right condiments. >> that's horrible. i don't think a dog would eat that. have the con dimeants. >> i don't think a dog would eat that. >> when it comes to inmate workouts, creativity and teamwork and a little bit of zen make all of the difference. >> lift the buttocks up. give you 37-thousand to replace it. "depreciation" they claim. "how can my car depreciate before it's first oil change?" you ask. maybe the better question is, why do you have that insurance company? with liberty mutual new car replacement, we'll replace the full value of your car. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

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could mean less waiting for things like security backups

and file downloads you'd take that test, right? what are you waiting for? you could literally be done with the test by now. now you could have done it twice. this is awkward. go to comcastbusiness.com/ checkyourspeed. if we can't offer faster speeds or save you money we'll give you $150. comcast business built for business. spend time visiting a maximum security prison and you may find yourself evaluating your waistline and commitment to the gym. we discovered how committed some of the 5,000 inmates were to the workouts. the state of california had banned free weights from the rec

yards for security reasons but that didn't deter anyone from lifting. >> that's our weights. >> yeah? >> yeah. >> okay, that's how we work out. we have to make water bags, we don't get weights no more. >> mouch does that weigh? >> 30 pounds. not very much. little more. >> there it is. >> some of the challenges of working out in prison aren't only about the kind of access to equipment you have or don't have but also the kind of restrictions you have often times these prisons go on look down and people are except in sells or housing units and not allowed out but still always find a way to work out. >> about 55 or 60 pounds. >> in a world where fist fights are all too real, many inmates incorporate shadow boxing into their workouts.

but jamie daniels, a former jujitsu instructor doing time went beyond punching air. >> this is a makeshift punching bag, since we're in our krel 24/7, i put a wool blanket and little padding, it's not as forgiving as a regular punching bag but do with what we got. i'll come back here and fire off punches, about 60 or 60 jabs, one of the best exercises to do here because you can do a whole lot of punching and it works the whole part of your body. >> one of the more memorable punches we ever saw came from a female inmate. paula at the orange county jail. >> i'm a fighter. i use my fists. i used to go to the boxing gym and trained. >> i like the shot of paula and the basketball, she stood out and that looked like a really difficult thing to do.

>> i look pretty much good for my age. i'm 44 years old and look a lot better than some of those youngsters. i know i'm handsome. >> reef us had an incell work out that would rival most of the men as well. >> the impression it makes upon me is how disciplined they are, they keep track of every sit-up or push-up or squat, every curl, you name it. i noticed one day there was an inmate that was pacing back and forth in their cell. and she had playing cards and she would place a card on the table and go back to the end of the cell and come forward as put another card down. we asked what that was all about? >> what are the cards for? >> to count my miles. three decks of card of one mile. it makes it easier so you don't work in circles all day. >> working out is also a good way to kill time.

there's a lot of time to be spent in prison. and this is just one more way to do it. >> at the suffolk county jail in boston, we encountered one group of inmates who found working out as a team kept them more motivated than working out alone. >> get my ab workout, get it tone up. we do all day. si six-day workout, one day rest. every day we're here. friz, kilo, we're out there. >> twice this week, take them for granted. big things come in small packages, rise above these walls and bars. >> definitely, can't hold us here forever, you have to do something with the time. >> always working out on my mind and body and soul. that's pretty much it.

>> in another section of the gym, we discovered a group of women also working on mind, body and soul. but in a most unexpected way. >> lift the buttocks up any amount, excellent, move the inner thighs through the back wall. >> once a week a professional yoga instructor would come in the jail and teach yoga to the women. we decided to cover it. when we got there we saw a normal classroom environment was turned into a yoga studio, they pushed the chairs and tables back and set up the yoga mats against the window and created a peaceful environment. >> use your breath. >> i've been wanting to teach yoga in jail for a very long time and found that yoga is a wonderful beneficial bond of reducing stress but also brings a sense of calmness and peace. you may find your mind is wandering, yoga is a way to control the scattered mind and

fluctuating mind. be your guiding force now. >> i don't believe any of the women had done yoga before. this was something really new for each one of them. afterwards you could tell they got something out of it. it was more than getting out of their cell for an hour and wasn't like the other sort of classroom style programs they went to. the experience was emotional for some of them. >> which part did you like most? >> i would say the last part, then you could just silt there and breathe and a lot of thoughts going through your head. >> like what? >> everything. good things, bad things. >> you okay? >> brings you in touch with yourself. >> yeah, it's not a bad thing. >> it should give a sense of relief. >> i would do it again. >> good. and it's perfectly okay to cry, just get it out of the system. >> yeah. >> that's all of my feelings coming back. >> i'll be back.

due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >> msnbc takes you behind the walls of america's most notorious prisons. into a world of chaos and danger. now, the scenes you've never seen, "lockup:raw." >> there are lines everywhere you look in prison and jail. >> keep the line tight. >> inmates moving lines and contained by lines. >> move closer tohe