use of their time or their voices. [ bleep ] >> i wish death on all you [ bleep ]. >> at iowa state penitentiaryent inside the unit that houses the state's most chronic offenders, cell house 220. known inside the walls as the hole. >> shut up! [ bleep ] you. >> this is unit cell house 220, the disciplinary detention unit for long-term disciplinary detention inmates. this is your maximum security unit inside of a maximum security prison. here's where we house all the disciplinary detention inmates that couldn't be handled in our general population area. now we have to deal with them over here. >> the co's told us these inmates are among the most incorrigible of all inmates within the prison. and my observation was that they seemed to be lacking in the ability to restrain their impulsive behavior. >> i'm in here for cutting myself and stuff like that. getting a bunch of reports for flooding my cell and stuff like that. >> and some are in for more violent deeds. our female producer was warned to keep a safe distance from luis nieves. >> just don't get too close. >> i'm being accused of attempted mu

at iowa state penitentiary, we found that the most brutal violence is sometimes against oneself. >> openn the methamphetamine lab he was running exploded. when we interviewed etter, he was also serving time for both sexual assault and for attacking a peace officer. >> i push everything to the limit, because as you can tell, i think i'm unstoppable. i think nothing will stop me. nothing will ever kill me. i thought i was god. reality check, i'm not. >> in spite of his calm demeanor, a few hours after this interview, etter got into a verbal confrontation with a female correctional officer that quickly escalated. c.e.r.t., the correctional emergency response team, was called in to extract him from his cell. >> he's been banging his head on the door, spitting at the glass, refusing to move or comply with any orders. we have permission to use force to extract him from his cell. >> for security reasons, the prison videotapes all extractions. >> you ready to move? >> put your hand out. other one. >> a mask is placed over etter's head to prevent him from spitting. >> let's go. >> initially he se

. >> when we visited iowa state penitentiary, we found the prison attempts to provide services for aious beliefs. >> a lot of the religions are a quieting, mellowing, peaceful type of thing. for them to pray, to see god answer something is to have something answered is empowering. >> then we met an inmate named travis wolfkill. >> in the name of satan, ruler of the earth, the king of the world, i command the forces of darkness to bestow the infernal power upon me. >> i'm in a satanic group here. there are only about four of us. it's a real small community. the church of satan is about enjoying life. it's about doing what you want to do. we believe in indulgence rather than abstinence. we believe in doing what makes us happy and what improves the quality of our life. >> such an attitude may have been what led wolfkill to a life sentence without the possibility of parole for murdering his grandmother over a $300 tax refund check. but he told us he has found a salvation of sorts in his religion. >> this has what's called the 11 satanic rules of the earth. if you look at number nine, it

. >>> james "t-bone" taylor was one of the most respected inmates among inmates at iowa's anamosa state penitentiarygood but for being a two-time cop killer. but when a survivor of one of his victims forgave him, taylor claims to have grown a conscience. in response, he and some other inmates were inspired to start a group they called s.a.v.e., seriously acknowledging victim's emotions. >> not enough attention is paid toward the victim. this group here is like after okay. it gives guys a chance to come and sit down and understand and find out why they have the behaviors that they have. >> our cameras rolled as inmates involved in the program met with families of victims. >> our past action implied that we held no regard for human life. today we know what it is to feel, see and hear all the insanity an destruction we've caused. this whole thing is not about us coming up here looking for pity. because we're not looking for pity. what we're looking for is an understanding that we know we did wrong. >> well, it affects me in a sense because i know the impact in these later years what i done. i don't do

. >> anamosa state penitentiary is a maximum security facility located in eastern iowa. me of the state's most violent offenders. one would think that the overcrowded conditions would lead to a constant barrage of bloody confrontations. well, think again. behind the walls of anamosa is a world of unusual contrast. >> to the security office. >> for new inmates arriving at anamosa state penitentiary, the very look of the prison can be intimidating. more than 100 years old, it was built entirely of limestone from nearby quarries. over the years, as the criminal population increased, so did the size of the prison. today, some 1,300 inmates live behind the massive 35-foot-walls and, like any prison, the threat of danger is everywhere. >> around our perimeter we have seven gun towers. they're manned throughout the day. >> the danger is there each time you walk through that gate, you know. you don't know what's going to happen from the time you get on shift to the time you get off shift. >> there's only two types of people in prison. you got the predators and you got the prey. >