About 3,300 of the state's most dangerous prisoners are held at Pelican Bay, which is among the toughest prisons in the nation.

New sentencing laws have sent nonviolent drug traffickers to the nation's toughest prisons for terms as long as life.

Peterhead convict prison was opened in 1888, gaining a reputation as one of Scotland's toughest prisons.

In the old days, in a truly tough prison, the lesson had always been implicit.

It is referred to as one of Russia's toughest prisons.

The toughest prison in the entire system, its proud tradition was that not a single prisoner had escaped since its establishment twenty years before.

It was New York's toughest prison, the site of the state's electric chair.

"Clearly," he continued, "this is not a terrific place to be for anyone and he is in a tough German prison."

After my visit I heard he had been moved to an even tougher prison, at Chistopol.

Our toughest prisons aren't outside ourselves but inside, it insists.