Inside 'worst prison on earth' where no inmates will ever be released as Richard Madeley given rare access

'I've never seen other human beings like that and being held in conditions like that', is Richard Madeley's response to seeing thousands of men incarcerated in El Salvador's notorious mega prison.

The idea of seeing the former This Morning presenter become part of the first British film crew to be granted access to the Central American nation's Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) was unlikely to be on any of our bingo cards for this year, and yet, here we are.

Airing on Channel 5 tonight (27 May), Madeley's documentary provides a rare insight into El Salvador's crackdown on gangs and the prison, which Donald Trump sent Venezuelan detainees to last year.

The prison, part of President Nayib Bukele's crackdown on gangs, has been controversial ever since it opened its doors in 2023.

Richard Madeley, with CECOT director Belarmino García, is part of the first British film crew to be granted access to El Salvador's notorious 'CECOT' prison (Channel 5)

Row upon row of heavily tattooed men are seen sitting inside endless cells, all with their heads shaved and all wearing the same basic white uniform.

What is life like inside El Salvador's CECOT prison?

When the jail's director, Belarmino García, allegedly told inmates this prison was a 'cemetery of living men' he wasn't joking, as conditions inside CECOT are unsurprisingly brutal.

Lights are kept on 24/7, meaning inmates do not see darkness during the seven hours of downtime the men get.

"It's simply part of the protocol," García says when asked about the decision. "I need to be able to see what they're doing."

Inmates spend most of their days in their cells or in chains (MARVIN RECINOS/AFP via Getty Images)

They sleep on metal beds without mattresses, eat around 1,800 calories a day and are given just a Bible for recreation. The men are either in their mega-cells or chained up for 23.5 hours of the day, with just half an hour for exercise and daily Bible study.

Madeley says there is even an 'electronic bubble' surrounding the prison, which means that if any electronic device were to be smuggled in, it wouldn't work.

Not that it would be possible to slip such devices past the extreme security checks.

Another thing which strikes Madeley is the 'absolute obedience' of the inmates. For men who allegedly spent their lives committing murder, torture and other heinous crimes as part of the Barrio 18 and MS-13 gangs, they now await orders and do not speak unless spoken to.

"I can't imagine a prison in the UK where prisoners would be this subservient," Madeley notes.

García says this is down to the prison's discipline.

Punishment inside CECOT

Punishments at CECOT involve being sent to tiny isolation cells for up to 30 days.

The cells are pitch-black and 'totally silent', with inmates forced to feel their way towards a metal bed, sink and toilet for the duration of their stay.

The men live off a diet of beans or pasta with rice and wash in cold water (MARVIN RECINOS/AFP via Getty Images)

The men detained inside CECOT will die most likely behind bars (MARVIN RECINOS / AFP via Getty Images)

Despite concerns about human rights violations, El Salvador's government insists CECOT is essential for national safety (MARVIN RECINOS/AFP via Getty Images)

"[The main prison] would seem like freedom," Madeley says. "Boy, you would do exactly what you are told."

There are a total of 96 isolation cells inside the prison's walls, which García claims are rarely used.

The director is keen to insist that the human rights of inmates inside CECOT are respected, with the men given the food and a trial, but when Madeley pushes him on the conditions, the crew are asked to leave.

Richard Madeley: Inside the World's Mega Prison airs on Channel 5 on 27 Wednesday, May at 9pm and will be available on its streaming services.