[Solemn music plays, noises of nature in background] Narrator: Broadmoor, a word that makes people shiver. Most think that Broadmoor is a prison, in fact it's a high secure psychiatric hospital, and home to some of the countries most dangerous and violent offenders. [Gate unlocking, mechanical noises] After five years of negotiation, and for the very first time, the hospital has allowed cameras in to meet the men who live behind these walls. [unintelligible yelling, sound of something slamming] [Running foot steps keys jangling] [more yelling and sounds of a struggle] [door slams] [foot steps echo in the hallway] Inmate: Broadmoores got this, this history about people being all these monsters here basically. But you can be violent, and it don't mean you're a bad person. 'Cause sometimes you don't....you're not intendin' it. Over radio: "Hello Bravo one, two, and go. Over radio: "One going to the [ unintelligible] all radio. Alpha four. Over." Man in Tan Suit: The easiest reaction in the world is to see somebody that has committed something atrocious, label them as evil, want to lock the door and throw away the key. Daniel: "I've probably actually never said the words of what I've I actually done. I've never admitted it. Still just a blur in my head". [knocking on door] Inmate: "I've got born into this Italian family. Very, very violent. In some cases it would have been better to have killed me than to have allowed me to have this abominable life that I've had. Narrator: With unprecedented access, and filmed over a year, this series reveals the secrets of life inside Britain's most notorious institution. [Bell rings] [Solemn music] Narrator: Broadmoor is perched above the Berkshire village of Crowthorne. Just 40 miles from the center of London. When people think of Broadmoore they think of Ronny Kray, Peter Sutcliffe, Robert Napper, and Kenneth Erskine. Some of the most dangerous killers the country has ever known. Inmate: "The public perceive this place as 'oh, that's where the Yorkshire Rippers locked up, that's Rachel Nickell's killers locked up'. Broadmoor is an institution of lots of people. We're not all rapist pedophiles, or murderers. There is people in here for self-harming in prison, there's people in here for buggery and they've gotten in a prison, and there's people in here for very very evil things. and it brushes with all the same brush which they shouldn't do." [loud string crescendo] Narrator: First built as a victorian lunatic asylum for the criminally insane, today Broadmoor is an NHS hospital. Over its 150 year history, it's been a secretive and mysterious institution. Staff are under strict instructions not to discuss patients outside the hospital walls. [clicking as items are placed on conveyer and beeping of machinery] Many won't even admit to working here. Staff Member: " Close, close family members know that, obviously, where we work. But if we're in a normal mainstream than you would, you would probably say you work in the hospital or something. Don't really talk about the place." Staff Member #2: " Listen, if you said that you worked here. Ah, boy. You'd just spend the whole of a day, or the afternoon, with a barrage of questions about the place. So, it's just easy to say you work for the NHS". Narrator: They're told not to share personal information with the patients either, and to leave their private lives along with their possessions. At the front door. Broadmoor's most notorious patients, like Peter Sutcliffe and Kenneth Erskine, have chosen not to participate. But many of the men here have been front page news and are vilified by society. This is the first time they've been allowed to tell their stories. Alex: I've everything from taking hostages, multiple hostage taking, stabbings, ya' know. Uhhhh... multiple assaults, violent assaults, fire setting off. I set a whole stammers a fire in a hospital. A psychiatric hospital, the first one I ever went to. Umm.. yeah. Just mainly violence and whatnot. My history is mainly violence". Narrator: "Broadmoors 200 patients are all men suffering from mental disorders. They're classified as vulnerable adults and only those who have Capacity to Give Consent have been allowed to talk to us. Their faces have been blurred to protect their identities [Door closing] Female Voice: "What are you like when you're not on medication?" Alex: "Ummm...I'm quite a nasty person. I'm quite violent, I'm very violent in most-most circumstances. Very antisocial. I don't like spending time with people. I'm paranoid. I'm, uh, very paranoid. stammers Every person around, I'm thinking 'what's their intention?' I come to that, sometimes I come very close to attacking people because I'm thinking that they're going to do something to me and I don't want to get hurt first. Uh, um..I remember one time when I'm off medication, spent 11 months locked in a cell. Segregated, due to the fact that I was too dangerous to come out". Narrator: 24 year old Alex arrived at Broadmoor 7 months ago. He was serving a life sentence in a dedicated prison unit for highly dangerous prisoners. They could no longer manage him. Alex: "When I was younger, we would chase a seagull all round the council estate Narrator: Now in a remissions ward he's been diagnosed with mental illness and personality disorder and put on medication. One of his symptoms is Auditory Hallucinations. He hears voices. Alex: "Oh, I was doing a fruit salad the other day for an assessment. That's when they do this assessment from personal motor, motor skills. It's like for learning disability. And....Umm... I was cutting a mango and I have never, I've never used a sharp knife. In the seven years I've been away I've not used a sharp knife and I was shaking. Literally. I nearly cut my fingers off cause' the voices were telling me to attack the people in the room, with the knife. And, like, they were goading me into it, and I thought ' I can't do that. I can't do that. and so I managed to finish fruit, the fruit salad, and I thought " wow like, what achievement'. Cause' mostly stammers a year ago, two years ago, my emotions would have done it. Ya know?" [unintelligible speaking] Man in Sweater: "No. We'll clean it afterwards. We want to give you bedding for now, okay?" Narrator: This is Cranfield, the intensive care ward. Home to the hospital's most acute mentally ill patients. [door shutting, keys jangling, people speaking unintelligibly] Female Voice: "Hi, can we come in and talk to you, yeah?" Man in Sweater: "Sit on the bed for us" Narrator: Any contact with them has to be carefully planned and executed. This is a six person unlock. The door to this patients room can only be opened with six staff present. Man in Glasses: "There is always the risk of violence towards others, you have to accept that with chronic mental illness and they will be very distant throughout the day, but you have to learn to work with that. [person sobbing] My focus in working with this guys is actually telling them that they are here not because of the illness, they are here because of violence. And they only progress from here if there's a reduction in that violence. So that message, you know. It might take time, but gradually over a period of time, is that going through". [keys jangling, unintelligible talking in background] Narrator: On this ward, even the most routine tasks, run a risk of violence and involve a protocol. This patient has asked for a drink. Man in White: "Just give us a minute trails off [unintelligible] Shukran. Shukran Shukran means thank you, right? You know, you taught me all this. laughs [unintelligible speaking]" Inmate: [unintelligible] "give me some more?' Man in White: [unintelligible response] "Thank you!" Female voice: "Thank you guys." Narrator: Life in Broadmoor can be a game of snakes and ladders. With patients moving between the hospitals 15 wards according to their mental state. [door closing] Patients who have responded to treatment can progress to one of the hospitals Assertive Rehab Wards, where they're given greater freedom. Daniel is one of 12 patients on this ward. Daniel: "I've been here five years. Luckily I never went to a high dependency ward, I came straight to rehab. And, to be honest, its been... I wouldn't use the word wonderful... Cause' eh... it's not wonderful. But, I've been grateful basically to come here. In my spare time I try and engage in artwork mostly. This was the, uh... my first real attempt at an actual portrait. All done completely in graphite, and then I moved on to using charcoal along with, uh.. graphite. And the charcoal allows you to, to have so much more...uhhh...depth in the tone or quality. And then, yeah....I did a self-portrait. The whole, The whole picture was a statement about when I got locked up, when I was 14 and I'm now 24. This is me at 24, but uh, that's me..... back then...sort of thing...." Narrator: Mental Disorder is no respecter of class or education. Daniel was a 14 year old boy at a mainstream school, and no one anticipated the violence of his attack....on his own family. [Heavy guitar riff] All of the men in Broadmoor present a grave and immediate risk to the public. And many have committed violent crimes. From arson, to torture, rape and murder. Unlike a prison sentence, they have no release date. Daniel: "I've been a bit of a conundrum for the psychologists. And I've have, I've had about nine different diagnoses from thirty different doctors. I've had seminars about me done, I've had people wanting to write books about me, just because of the unusuallity of my offense, and my age, and what happened... I mean, my family are my saving grace to be honest here. They, they, they're hugely...hugely supportive. And what's even more amazing is that my offense was actually oriented against my family. So I think...so the fact....and, and, what a lot of people see is that, when a family member has committed an offense against a family member they're often...dis-disowned. So it think it's...it's too much for the family. But, they-they, have told me that they swore they'd stay by me when they, when I was christened, and they have. So I think, ya know... They've always-they've always agreed I've had Aspergers. One of the problems I have is I'm not very good at understanding emotions. Or...if I have a...if I'm feeling something I don't always understand what it is that I'm feeling. But if I can draw it, I can get out these angry feelings, or these frustrations of being locked up, or guilt, or remorse. All these, all these negative feelings I can channel through this imaginative artworks". [background talking, lunch bags rustle] Daniel: I've probably never actually said the words of what I actually done. I've never admitted it. Because I still, I still get flashbacks. It's mainly guilt. I still-I still struggle to bring it to mind It's still just a blur in my head. I've done such a terrible thing. Thats one of the things that I've got to come to terms with eventually is that I've done this, it's happened, and it WILL be with me forever". Narrator: We're not allowed to reveal the details of Daniel's offense. Man in Suit: "okay" Daniel: "Umm, the other thing I was wondering about was, I sort of get problems of fine motor control and spatial awareness, and like bumping into things, and dropping things a lot". Man in Suit: "As you're saying it's not one of the most common side effect. In fact, the opposite....[trails off]" Narrator: Daniel is taking medication and undergoing psychological therapy. These, together with everyday interaction with staff are the cornerstone of the treatment here. Man in Suit: "Have you noticed any benefit?" Daniel: " I don't really know what it is I'm looking for." Man in Suit: " I have noticed a difference in you, not within the last week, but certainly over the last three months. I think that you are much more able to spend longer time with people in one to one situations." [ducks quack, dramatic music] Narrator: Broadmoor can feel like a ghost town. Patients can only move at certain times and in certain configurations. Their cameras record where each patient is at any given moment. [Radio Chatter] The control room ensures that incompatible patients, do not collide. [Radio Chatter] Patients who are well enough, leave their wards to go to work, study, and even once a week go shopping. It's strangely like a village. [loud indistinct talking] Shopkeeper "Whats going on? You sure it's okay?" [indistinct response] Shopkeeper: "Good." Narrator: The freedom to shop is a mixed blessing. One of the side effects of medication is increased appetite and many patients are severely overweight. [indistinct talking] However normal it feels, the reminder of the threat of violence is ever-present. Searches looking for potential weapons are carried out before any patient movement. Hospital Staff: This is stuff that we've retrieved from patients. I think this is just, what used to be a C.D. and its been broken up into shards. It can be used as a blade, even for self harming. In fact, we don't use the C.D.s here anymore. We've got spoons and forks that have been sharpened off on the edge. So a normal teaspoon-plastic spoon-which is quite innocent to you and I, has been fashioned off and can be used as a potential weapon to stab. It's an example of how vigilant we have to be with everyday items". Alex: "I've done a lot of self harming, as you can see. I've cut my own throat a couple of times. I've cut my throat like four times I think. Umm funny enough, I think It was like five weeks before I come here, I hung myself and they had to do CPR on me in the cell. Like, you know? I was sexually abused when I was a child and that had an affect on my behavior, on my mental state. I couldn't sleep at night, and the rest of it...I was, you know... Basically everything that you go through when you've had a traumatic situation like I did. I think as well as being here, I said to my mum 'this feels like the best I've ever been in ten years." Man in Tan Suit: Patients that come here, they will have perpetrated, often, horrendous crimes. But, they are also victims. It is very easy to see somebody as either the perpetrator or the victim. It is much more difficult to understand that somebody might be both. [squirrel chatters] [loud drumming and incoherent yelling] Narrator: Patients from different wards meet in certain events. Dave Neita: "hi, first of all, thank you for giving up your time. I know you could be doing other things, I know you have different [trails off]" Narrator: Todays a diversity workshop and Poet and Lawyer Dave Neita is encouraging them to celebrate their different cultures. Dave Neita: "Today I invite you to speak about your own culture, but before that we're going to have lunch." But most of them are celebrating lunch. [drums continue] With no alcohol or tobacco allowed, food is the only thing they have free reign over. [drums in background] Alex: "My mum's Italian and my dad's from a little island in Africa and I would say that being multicultural It helps. It's good. It's nice to be different. Because different is what we need. We don't want everyone the same. And that's it." Declan: "How'd I end up in here? Umm they said they had a spare bed so I thought 'I've been in children's homes, I've been in secure units, I've been in prison. The only place I haven't been is Broadmoor. So I thought I'd come along. laughs" [drumming] Narrator: Now 26, Declan was put into care at the age of nine. Declan: "I remember the day that my mum took me to this office. I sat there in a chair, and the next minute she just left. She went 'your not coming with me'. A social worker come out and she went 'alright, you got to come with me'. I went to children's homes, foster homes. I kept running away, cause' I got abused When I was in the children home. By the staff. Sexually and physical. And umm I think it was like, no one would actually listen to me. I ran away to London, and I was living on the streets. I mean I was living out of bins, yeah....not nice but, when you're on the streets you have to do that sometimes. you know what I mean?" Inmate in Red: "Yeah guys, this is called Think, yeah? It goes like this: When you see a tramp out on the street. Don't look down your nose so far that you see your own feet. When you see people homeless don't reach for a broom. Consider if you have the means to give them a room. Declan: "Am I a victim? I mean my current defendant...umm...basically stabbed 'em up. The judge classed it under as torture". Inmate in Blue: "I'm black, I'm British, and I'm proud of it [fades into clapping and drums]." Female Voice: "You say you've got a child?" Declan: "Mm-hm. Got a little boy, he's seven. And he lives with his mum. Don't really see him, but I would- I wouldn't expect children to come in a place like this." Female Voice: "And are you still on good terms with his mum?" Declan: "Ummm...laughs not really. No. I started having a bit of a relationship with [name beeped out]. Sooo, yeah..that was the first time I found out that I was sort of that way. I've always-for some reason-I've always wanted to be a woman. I think that's the way I am, you know but in this place you can't do that, they won't allow it." Declan in front of room: "I just wanted to say I'm gay, and I'm proud of it. Thank you." Declan: "I want to be a Drag Queen that's what I've done for a while." Female Voice: "What's she called?" Declan: "Crystal." Female Voice: "And what's she look like?" Declan: "Blonde, and just fabulous laughs" [Intense music] Narrator: We've come to Chepstow, a medium-dependancy ward, where Lenny wants to show us his artwork. Female Voice: "You do it in your room?" Lenny: "Yeah. I do work with spare pens, and it's mostly based on pens and basically your using cups and shapes and bottle tops to draw around. Female Voice: "How long have you been here?" Lenny: "7 years this time." Female voice: "Is it not your first time?" Lenny: "No it's the second time. What do you think of that one? That's the corridors in a ward that's shut down now." Female Voice: "So why are you considered a risk?" Lenny: "Because...I think its because of my particular offense was against a consulting psychiatrist. They called in a section 12 approved psychiatrist. And they're very powerful, not like- not like when you go to an ordinary doctor. They-they work from home office." Narrator: He's not happy with life in Broadmoor, and tells us he's bringing a High Court case against the hospital. Lenny: "It costs how much? What was the last figure they said it cost to keep us here every year? 320,000 pounds a year or something? Surely its-its wrong to charge a fortune for people like us. When we're nowhere near about the centers of the community." Narrator: I costs 300,000 pounds a year to keep a patient in Broadmoor. Almost five times the cost of keep someone in prison. Before Lenny came to Broadmoor, he was in outpatient at a psychiatric hospital where he threatened his psychiatrist with a machete. Female Voice: "Do you think you shouldn't be here, or?" Lenny: "Do you think I sound like a mad blathering idiot? Cause' I think-No I don't think I should be here. I think I should be sharing this- my life- with people. I want to be sharing my life with people. I want to be able to decide what I do, when I do it and be reasonably responsible for my own behavior, like anyone else out there. And I don't think I'll be any more of a danger then whatever's already out there. And I will be honest with you, I am rude here, I could be really furious and angry and people come with 'You're the patient, yeah? That is a term we use to separate you from the rest of society, we're the last thing on earth -this is the truth here- to be given what you call equal rights. What do you think? You agree or not? I'm not anti-people I'm all for people." Narrator: Downstairs on the admissions ward, Alex is keen to progress. Alex: I was seven months up in here yesterday, seven months yesterday. It's taking forever. Are you aware of any beds coming up soon?" Narrator: His medication has stabilized him. He wants to move from Admissions to and Assertive Rehab ward, where he'll have greater freedom. Man in suit: That I don't know. Alex: Well you should know, [laughing] you're a consultant in there! Man in suit: Yes- I can't- I don't know the timescales, cause it's not quite within my control... Narrator: Back upstairs on Chepstow, Benson, the PAT dog, has arrived for his weekly visit. Lenny's behavior over the past few days is becoming a cause for concern. He's been increasingly manic and hyperactive, and his doctor feels he needs medication. [door clatter] Dog Handler: Bye! Narrator: Lenny refuses to take it, so it'll have to be forcibly administered, by injection. Lenny: Hang on hang on, you filming? [crosstalk] Lenny: This is wrong, I'm not fighting you [crosstalk] [chatter] Doctor: Guys, we really need to get this started, if you just mind, just, just- please.. OK? All right Narrator: At this point, staff tell us to leave the ward. [moody music] We're told we can see Lenny the following day. [door shuts] [birds, brooding music] Lenny: Neil? Neil, could we have a key please? There should [unintelligible] Narrator: The day before, we were told to leave the ward when staff were about to forcibly inject Lenny with antipsychotic medication. He's keen to explain what happened after we left. Lenny: Come this way- So I moved into here- Narrator: He leads us into the seclusion area. Lenny: Come in, come in. All right, well [unintelligible] First of all, I was at that point, I was laying like this, alright, and I was talking saying 'Please don't turn me over, cos I'm not trying to fight you' And they said, and the next thing happened they all came in and [unintelligible] I can make a deal with them, I'm on the bed, so I'm like this, one point, all the staff were holding me, I was like that and said 'Would you please let me go, and I'll get up' so I went like that and stood like that and took down my pants and trousers and he stopped me there, let's see, I came out again, that's what happened, but I didn't- What do you think? What's your opinion about that? Interviewer: But did you, so did you hit one of them then? Lenny: Yeah but that's cos I was being chased [unintelligible]. One of the biggest areas of conflict, um between certainly doctor and patient is the issue of medication. Lenny: This one's sealed, alright? It's stifling sometimes. Doctor, offscreen: One of the difficulties with psychotic disorders is your interpretation of reality is different from other people's. And if you genuinely believe there's nothing wrong with you and you don't need any medication, why on earth would you want to take some of the medications that would be up for discussion? Lenny: Could we open this door please? Doctor: He's particularly angry for two reasons, so one is he doesn't believe he'll benefit from the medication at all, second reason is that he believes he's involved in a major, high court case against the hospital to expose a range of malpractice particularly in relation to him, but in general about how these services are just really keeping people in jobs and don't provide any useful service. Lenny: The hospital's defense is just- 'Here's some of the most notorious people in the country,' I'll show you what- Doctor: He believes we've given him the medication purely to dull his mind and weaken his chances of being successful in that case. In fact he's not currently involved in any, uh, legal action or court case. Lenny: No you're not going in there it's private, sorry come on you guys it's private. It's my mess, my own mess. Hey look, can you show 'em all now? Look at that, that's my mum and me. See she pretty in the black and white from the 60s, see her? Doctor: He's a man who's spent a long time in institutional care, um in previous settings was frequently assaulted, he was violent himself on several occasions but he often assaulted. Lenny: You want a drink or anything, cup of tea or something? [offscreen] I'm fine You sure? Any sweets, soft drink? [offscreen] Nothing Lenny: Alright thanks very, thank you very much [unintelligible] [contemplative music] [keys clattering, chatter] [offscreen] Just check to make sure, all the shadows are covered.. So they're checked, first thing in the morning, again before the patients go back [door handle rattles] Narrator: Patients who are well enough to go to work can make goods, which go on sale to the public. They are paid 80 pence an hour. Alex has been doing well and is now allowed off the Admissions ward to come to work. Alex: Everyone's saying 'Oh you gonna move you're gonna move' they said I would have moved by Thursday last week, nothing so far now, I've been onto my psychiatrist saying, 'Look, why am I still on at Admission ward, after 8 months, when there's a bed for me on Rehab? Know?' Interviewer: You a bit frustrated? Alex: Yeah it is frustrating, but I'm just at the moment, focusing, cos next week I've got a visit, mum and dad are coming up for 2 days, so, y'know, I'll spend some time with my family. [tapping] [outdoor ambiance, guitar music] Narrator: They have a saying here: There's time, and then there's Broadmoor Time. Tan shirt: Which episode did you see last, of Eastenders? Bout a week ago? Black shirt: Last night? Tan shirt: Last night? Black shirt: Last night yeah Tan shirt: Did they show the man who was pretending to be Nick Cotton's own son? Black shirt: No I didn't see it [moody music] Narrator: While medication can often control behavior, extensive therapy is needed to change it, and that takes time. Estelle: I'm in the diary, ok? [offscreen] OK Narrator: Estelle Moore is the hospital's lead psychologist, she's been here for 20 years. Estelle: [keys jangling] You alright? Declan: They say just carry on with the violent offenders group, what finishes in December Narrator: Patients undergo specific therapies depending on their offense, whether it's violence, sex offending, or fire setting. Declan: -understand our relationships and uhh, borderlines. No not borderlines, boundaries. Estelle: What sort of actions are safe and contained in relationships? The sorts of things that you would do that feel like normal and safe relationships? Declan: Laughter Estelle: Laughter? OK so laughing, Declan: Talking sensible. Feeling comfortable with each other. [keys, footsteps] Narrator: Declan was found guilty of a life-threatening assault on a man. Declan: Do I feel sorry for him? No. Will I do it again? No. No. I'm missing the sun, I'm missing the surfing. Know what I mean? [keys, door squeaks] [door shuts] [moody music] [ping pong ball clatters] Narrator: Lenny has been on antipsychotic medication for a few weeks. It has had time to build up in his system. [ponytail] Now he's had the depot injection, the chemicals from that are slowing down his reactions to the point where he has those few more seconds to think- 'How am I gonna reply to this?' and he will reply in a much more- manner to what you or I would reply to something. I can definitely empathize with him, he hasn't come from a different background to me but he has come from different parents to me. [Interviewer, offscreen] It seems to be the case with so many. Yeah, I know, I agree with that, you can probably see if you go back into, um, the lives of most of our patients, you could probably identify them at 5, 6 years old, and say 'I'll be seeing you later on' and things like that. Lenny: He's alright here, he's my buddy, one day he's gonna tell the truth as well. [laughs] [walkie talkie chatter] [Doctor, offscreen] Everyone is born with certain temperaments, with certain predispositions to certain behavior, and if you've been given a triple-whammy of, of genes, environment, upbringing, childhood adversity, substance misuse, all of those different aspects build up to make the person. And it's a long term project of gradually putting somebody back together and making sure that they stay in that recovered state. [ominous music] Narrator: Things have finally changed for Alex- after 8 months, he's been moved to Assertive Rehab. Alex: It's better over here, it's a little better. Got a lot more freedom, key to a door, come out when you want to make hot drinks, yeah, it's alright. Narrator: But it's not all good news. As so often in the past, he's in danger of self-harming. He's had to be put on Eyesight Observation which means nurses have to take turns to watch him, 24 hours a day. Alex: Cos my mental state haven't been the best, it's not nice, you know, hearing voices and what-have-you, but you know, just got to control it, that's all you can do, not let it get to you.