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." >> when our crews go into maximum security prisons across the country there's a certain dynamic we observe every time. it's the inherent distrust between correctional officers and inmates and yet they have to work side by side every day and

get along. the problem is things can go the bad at any time. >> when our crew walked into the most notorious housing unit at the wabash valley correctional facility in indiana, we met an officer who gave a graphic example of how brutal the relationship between offenders and corrections staff can be. >> there was a medical emergency out on one of the ranges. as i went up to the cell to inquire as to what the emergency was, i said, what's your problem? he said, you are, bitch! and then spit a mouthful of blood on to me. striking me in the eye, and the nose, got in my mouth, and my ear, and all down my side here. >> wabash valley's secured housing shun it or shu holds the prison's most dangerous inmates. >> why did you come back after that? >> you have to. you absolutely have to. if you let something like that stop you, then they win.

if some of them were out on the streets i would pity anyone they came across. >> but some inmates feel the shu only fuels their violent tend tendencie tendencies. >> the shu is terrible. i wouldn't wish this place on my worst enemy. >> as a shu inmate, billy brown is confined to a solitary cell. >> 24 hours, sit in this cell. without communication, without contact from any other human besides officers. >> it's a windowless cell in a pod, and he said this incredible thing. he said, do you know how long it's been since i've seen a tree? >> the last time i saw a tree? oh, man, years, it's been years. years. it's been years since i saw a tree. one of the last time i interacted with some people? years. >> but some of the staff here believe brown earned his shu term.

serving a 40-year sentence for rape, brown landed in the shu when he assaulted an officer at another prison. but shortly after arriving on the shu at wabash, brown struck again. >> you get up in the morning, you're going to come in here thinking everything's going to be okay. it's not always so. >> sergeant dan haskins was the recipient of brown's fury. >> at that time we had what we call group rec, that's where they went out to the rec pad. what the offenders wanted to do, we found out later, it was all written down what they wanted to do. they wanted the staff person to come out to the rec door. they were going to fly it open, kill the officer. >> that day, that particular day i was frustrated. i was so frustrated. i felt that i had nowhere to turn. >> it didn't matter who the officer was. they were going to kill him to prove a point. as a matter of fact, it was this range right here.

>> me and two other white dudes were on the red pad. >> they had socks with batteries in them, in one hand, and the homemade shanks made up inside the other. >> we came off the red pad and tried to stab a lot of police, tried to stab four or five police on the range. >> they come out behind the stairwell swinging and swinging. we backed off. the other two officers that got out of the range door. i didn't make it. they had me pinned at that time inside this corner. they were just beating me on top of the head with a sock full of batteries. >> this officer haskins was just one of the officers that was there and he was one that probably got hurt the worse. >> my two officers tried to pull me back through. the three of them were on the back side trying to pull me back out. the tug-of-war began. these guys were still beating me on top of the head. finally the two officers pulled me through. >> haskins was not a target. none of those officers were the target. they was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

and they caught the wrath. >> i reached around back like this and i felt something on my something wet on my back. when i brought it back around it was blood. come to find out i got stabbed in my back at the tug-of-war at the door. it was so deep at the time i didn't even notice it. >> brown received an additional two years in disciplinary detention for the assault on sergeant haskins. >> billy brown some day he's probably going to have to earn the opportunity to get out of that unit. however, my question to him would be, what have you learned? is it still everybody else's fault? are you still the victim or are you the one, due to your own behavior, that caused you to be there. >> it's not a big thing to be asked to be treated like a human. if you show me respect, i give you respect. if you disrespect me or what i believe in, then we'll take it to the next level. >> the thing about this shu unit, out of sight, out of mind. the outside world, out of sight, out of mind.

they probably don't want to know what goes on in here. >> but sergeant haskins will always have his own reminder of what goes on here. >> there's a nice little bump right there on top of my head where a sock full of batteries will leave on top of your head. drives the barber crazy. coming up on "lockup: raw" -- >> you don't move until i tell you to move. >> i don't know any of them. i will know them. >> teenagers, one of the few things inmates and officers can bond over. >> do you think you can handle somebody like me? huh? come on [ bleep ]! just me and you now.

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there are nearly 5,000 inmates at california state prison corcoran. they represent one of the highest concentrations of dangerous felons found anywhere. it's rare that inmates and correctional staff on this yard ever unite in a common goal. but, when a bus load of teenagers arrive during our shoot there, we witnessed one of those times. >> come on out. line up. line up. let's go. let's go. come on now. come on now. >> all these kids they brought into corcoran for the day, there is an aura of like, hey, this is going to be kind of cool. we're going to see things on the inside. you know. i'm going to see what it's really like to be a bad ass. >> the teens who have had all run-ins with the law, were sent here for a crime intervention program called reaching out, convicts to kids. or roc. it's designed to send a clear message -- prison is not a place to make new friends. before entering the prison the

students get a regulation welcome from the correctional staff. >> don't move, man. >> -- in a heart beat. >> got to come crazy with it now. >> you need to straighten up and change your attitude. >> when you're at my house, you're doing to do what i say, you understand? >> do you want to hear a little thing about a women's room? >> what? >> 25% that go into the women's dorms are either bi or lesbian. 75% come out. >> after being warmed up by correctional staff, the kids are turned over to their hosts for the day, 23 hardened felons. 21 of whom are convicted murderers. >> starting now, things are going to change a little bit for you. you see now you belong to us. when we hit the yard it will be a couple hundred inmates. talking [ bleep ] to you. about how you look. about your hair. about how they'll take you and go up in you. do not respond to them. >> there's definitely a cockiness, even the girls were

not scared at all. that was on the outside. as soon as they hit that yard and they had to walk down that gauntlet of really bad ass looking guys, you know, all tatted up, scars all over their face, you know, the looks on their faces completely changed. >> what we got over here? who's on my yard? >> what are you looking at? >> boy. hey [ bleep ]. >> you guys want to make the same mistakes we're making, you'll be here for life. like me. >> welcome to my fantasy at corcoran. >> here, kitty, kitty. >> what's up? >> pleased to meet you. [ bleep ] [ bleep ] >> look at this. >> [ bleep ]. >> look at that. >> right there. >> no, i don't know any of them but i will know them. >> you will know them, huh? >> i don't want to know is that

a girl? >> do you have a broken leg? you will get aspirin. if you have a flu, you will get aspirin. turn back and face forward. >> the students aren't in the yard very long when they learn how unpredictable life here can be. [ alarm ] alarm signaling a major disturbance are common at corcoran. inmates who don't hit the ground risk getting taken down by staff. >> there saint nothing to it. >> you had everybody hitting the ground. you had the correctional officers telling them what to do. everyone was yelling and screaming. and it was intense. >> when the yard observation officers tell you you can get up, until then you don't move. >> get up. get up. >> back in order. back in order that you were at. >> it was a couple of kids that were shaking.

it wasn't the field trip that they thought it was going to be. >> i'll get you something if you need something. >> feeling a little sick. >> okay. >> all right. >> we'll be back. >> the next stop does nothing to calm nerves. the prison gymnasium has been converted into a dorm because of over-crowding. >> all right. this is the housing unit. in other words, if you get in trouble on the streets, they will find a spot for you to live. notice, when we went down there was a gunner on the yard. there's also a gunner in here. >> they shooting real bullets. it ain't easy being in this [ bleep ] jail. whether it be over the phone calls, showers, [ bleep ] computers, whatever it is, it's a problem in here. when you spend 365 days in a year in this [ bleep ], you're going to be stressed out. believe that. >> don't never come back in here like this. [ bleep ] what's wrong with you? >> back up side by side, two by two.

>> do you know what that means? it means that if they need a sexual favor, guess who's doing it. >> when the group moves into the dining hall they find something even less appetizing. >> this is all about territory. this side over here happens to be for the whites and southern mexicans. that side over there happens to be for the northern blacks and everybody else. so when you come in here you got to know who you belong with. because ain't nobody else going to look out for you. >> this is the lunch that we get at corcoran. probably the best lunch we've had all month. do you think you can starve? >> yeah. >> they don't feed you. you're always starving from meal to meal. >> this is not magic mountain, it's not denny's, it's not burger king. you can't have it your way. this is what you get 365 days of the year. that's what you're going to get right here. >> can i get one of you to call my mother and tell her i still love her? >> all right. backs against the wall.

>> right now this is part of the survival tactics in prison. so if i came up to him, you and i had a problem and i wanted you, what am i going to do? i'm going to get you where it ain't too much attention at, right? your back off the wall, you looking out here thinking this gate has been open. i come up behind you. put something in your back. what you going to do? what you going to do? you ain't going to do nothing. you going to lay down right there and you're going to bleed right there. you're going to bleed to death. so what's your best friend? exactly. having your back on the wall. >> the next stop is a standard two-man cell. >> hey, fool, man, what the [ bleep ] doorstop. what the hell is wrong with you? >> see how small this cell is. two grown men in here, not very much room. >> you don't get up in the middle of the night and flush that toilet like that. if i'm sleeping i'm going to get up in your ass. >> suddenly, the visit takes an unexpected turn. >> [ bleep ].

you bad. come on. bring your ass home. come on, [ bleep ]. what's happening? >> there was some wise ass kid who was just making cracks and one big inmate who saw it out of the corner of his eye decided he was going to make an example out of this kid. he gave him the riot act. >> do you think you can handle somebody like me, partner? huh? come on, [ bleep ]. it's me and you now. what are you going to do? get in there. >> what he thought was a harmless joke earns this 17-year-old some unwanted attention. >> what's wrong with you, man? why can't you get your act straight. >> said i wanted to pick out my cell. and that guy was like, it was just a joke. i just thought it out loud. i guess they heard or something. >> what you coming to prison for today, homey? you're obviously doing something wrong? >> they volunteered me to come. >> who volunteered you? >> my probation officer. >> why? >> i stole a car and joy rided. and i went to boot camp. >> i don't think you're ready for this. >> i don't think i'm ready,

either. so that's like -- i don't even plan on trying to like get locked up anymore. >> we basically said the same thing, we're not going to come to prison. look where we at now. that's all it take, man, one mistake. >> how many? >> what do the gang do for you? give me one good thing the gang do for you, your gang? >> back you up. >> for what? >> when you have a problem, they're there, you know? >> after seven hours, the visit is nearing its end. but the inmates have some parting words. >> you're a grown man. you're 18 years old. you got to take responsibility. >> i don't know. to tell you the truth, i don't know. >> you're like a puppy right now. you're just a puppet on a string. >> they were hollering at me all day. i didn't even do nothing. >> they tell me a lot of things. like think before you act. there's always consequences for every decision you make.

>> when i went in i was like -- i was scared. i was like, man, they're talking [ bleep ]. but it's all right, though, because i'm coming out. they're in there. >> some of these kids are very bright. very bright. and some of them, you just can't get to. and some of them is going to be in corcoran. coming up on "lockup: raw" "d" >> when they sentenced me to death 23 years ago, i thought i was going to be dead before five years is up. >> an unlikely friendship blossoms on death row. health can change in a minute. so cvs health is changing healthcare. making it more accessible and affordable, with over 900 locations for walk-in medical care. and more on the way.

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[male narrator] we've all heard how military veterans adjusting to the civilian world may have... certain... issues. 2... 30... 70... if only everyone had this issue. no matter what challenge they face, easter seals is here for america's veterans. when it comes to making friends, prison inmates usually have limited options. >> there's child molesters and there's rapists in here. you have to decide what your relationship is going to be with these people. you can put yourself in the

corner of your cell and decide that you're superior to these people in cases or forge a relationship with these people and allow them to be your friend. it's either going to be social or anti-social. >> on death row, friendships have a way of ending shortly after midnight. >> i was charged with murder and robbery and burglary and theft. in 1982. >> we met mark during his 23rd year on death row at indiana state prison. at age 20 he was convicted of killing a 65-year-old woman who had volunteered at the homeless shelter where he was living. in his confession to police he admitted to stabbing her 26 times during the robbery. >> when they sentenced me to death 23 years ago i thought -- i thought i was going to be dead before five years was up. that didn't happen and instead men i've known for 20 years go in front of me, that's been hard.

>> over the years, wisehart became friends with several death row residents. >> i didn't care for the first ten years i was here against their will and last year they killed five people that i known for a minimum of 18 years. i thought i was going to be one of them. as far as my sanity, you know, some people would say i've already lost it. i would say i've maintained it by a thin, thin thread. >> with his best friends executed wisehart made a new companion. the prison's feline adoption program allowed him to become the guardian of a shelter rescue cat. he named it nobbs. >> dutch remains free of charge. i've never been responsible for anybody but me in my whole life. i have to care for her and she cares for me.

she loves me and i love her. i think that's pretty cool. >> do you think that nobbs has any idea that she's in prison? >> well, i know she's aware that she's in a place with a lot of loud noises. she's kind of skittish sometimes. i didn't know if i wanted to bring a cat into a place like this, where she was going to have to be restrained. a cat wants to run and wander and explore and she can't really do that much here. but i think she knows i love her and that's a trade-off, i guess. >> hey, how is the cat? >> good. >> is she shy? >> shy. >> that's okay. >> prison warden ed bust told us why he felt the feline adoption program was beneficial for inmates like wisehart. >> segregated offenders tend to have higher rate of suicide. they tend to develop mental

illness quicker on this offenders who are walking around in open population. the cat is very meaningful to them. it gives them a purpose in life. it gives them a reason to wake up every morning. it gives them responsibility. so i'm sure the cat, for mr. wisehart, is helping him as he grows older on death row. >> she's like my connection to humanity, you know, to kindness and love. when she jumps up on my bed and i'm stroking her and she turns her chin up to me and puts her nose in my face. i don't get that from anyone else. you're the only one that does that to me. say hi to your fan. dad, i know i haven't said this often enough, but thank you.

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