We begin in the Brazil where the authorities are accused by human rights groups of over-crowding prisons and of gross misstreatment of the inmates. But as Stephen Kingstone reports from Sao Paulo, one of the biggest problems for the authorities is keeping control in the prisons.

In the second of our series we go to Kenya. In this country of 30 million, there are more than 50 thousand people currently in prison. Claims of torture, brutality and overcrowding have been frequent. Pressure groups have long demanded that the prisons be made open to allow independent groups to assess the conditions within them. Since coming to power 20 months ago, the government of Moi Kibaki has promised to review the prison system and improve the living conditions. But what's life like for those currently inside? The BBC's Gray Phombeah spent a day in a Nairobi prison to see for himself.

In the next instalment of our Prison series we take a look at Britain. The female prison population in England and Wales has almost trebled in the past decade. Two thirds of those women are mothers, many single parents, and when they end up in prison an estimated 17 thousand children are left to be cared for by relatives or local authorities. Eleven women have already killed themselves in prison since January, in 2003 fourteen committed suicide over the whole year. Women are almost twice as likely to take their own lives in goal than men, and 30 percent admit to harming themselves. Shocking statistics, but what are the reasons behind them? Our reporter, Rebecca Kesby has been speaking to women who have been affected.

In our fourth installment we go to India. A jail normally conjures up images of prisoners shackled in chains and kept in solitary confinement. But things are somewhat different at Delhi's Tihar jail. Until a few years ago, it was a place to be feared. But Tihar is now regarded as a global model for prison reforms, welcoming delegations from far and wide who come to study how prison authorities turned the place around. The authorities say the key to their success is a holistic approach to reform and rehabilitation. The BBC's Geeta Pandey spends a day at Tihar Jail.

First Broadcast 6th - 9th September 2004