there are 1,300 inmates serving life sentences at kern valley.their crimes were often cold-blooded. >> i'm here for aggravated mayhem, attempted murder, kidnapping, and great bodily injury. >> i'm in here for the heat of passion. i caught my wife with somebody and killed her. >> for some of these inmates, the prospect of spending decades behind bars affects their ability to function. for others, a prison job can give them a sense of purpose. they work in the kitchen preparing and serving the food. they serve as porters, clerks, and barbers. marcus armstrong and jeffrey cattera know it's likely they'll never see the outside of prison again. >> january 13th, 1989, i committed my crime, was arrested the same day. it was a murder/robbery. i got life without the possibility of parole. stupid. stupid. i was a kid. did the wrong thing. you know? i've never denied my crime. i accept responsibility for what i did. although i regret what happened and -- i mean, it happened. i can't take that back. >> i'm in here for first-degree murder. i have 25 to life w

happen in prison before, an officer brought out the rule book. >> okay, hamilton, this here is kern valleyoperational procedure, number 222. >> and set it down in front of dennis and said, look, here's what it says. >> in a nutshell it says that every inmate will accept a cellie except if he has -- see this little thing? it's called an "s" suffix. that means single cell status. if you have that attached to your cdc number, then we'll never, ever try to house you with another inmate because you have gone through all the hoops, whatever it takes, either you committed battery on your inmate -- or cell partners or you've, you know -- >> murdering, battery, i know. >> or a psychiatrist says. >> yeah, but i'm not crazy. >> well, that's your answer. that's it. call the governor. that's pretty much it for me. >> hamilton was sent back to the hole. but a few days later, we heard of an alarming new development in his case. he had assaulted an officer. >> sometimes you anticipate your moves as far as what inmates are going do and their capability, and sometimes you are just surprised. i didn't think