British journalist Alexander Reynolds went undercover at some of America’s toughest prisons and exposes his grim findings about the system also detailed in his book Convict Land: Undercover in America’s Jails.
Reynolds says he was appalled by the wide range of problems in prisons and ultimately found his undercover visits a “heartbreaking” experience. “What I encountered was a theater of hell, really,” he said. “I encountered the very worst people and went into these institutions which were very complete and austere.”
He also speaks about the dangerous nature of undercover work, saying the most important skills are good communication skills, being very sure of yourself and always sticking to your story. “The most important thing is, with any cover story, it must be simple and you must stick to the cover story, and you must never, ever break it.”
For one of his cover stories at a prison in Nebraska he pretended he was convicted of espionage and the other inmates bought it.
“The most important thing was the story, the story you have. You’re not going in there on a James Bond ego trip. You’ve got to be more like John Drake (Danger Man). He’s a better role model to follow for undercover work than James Bond.”
Another one of his cover stories had to do with him getting picked up for driving on the wrong side of the road – perfect for someone from the U.K. – and being caught with methamphetamine.
He also discusses efforts in some areas to privatize prisons, but said the idea has already been abandoned in many cases and he believes it’s better if jails are run by the government.
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