Though he is provided with a straw mat, Matthew says he prefers to sleep on the concrete floor of his cell in the maximum-security wing of Singapore’s Changi Prison.

Officials at Singapore’s Changi prison say its notoriously harsh conditions are aimed at deterring prisoners from reoffending and help them re-integrate into society after serving their sentence.

Dateline’s 2025 season premiere marks the first time an Australian TV crew has been given access inside Singapore’s notorious Changi prison, one of the world’s toughest correctional facilities.

Singapore’s Changi Prison Complex is a walled compound of guard towers and imposing gates built in the shadow of the country’s main airport. More than 10,000 prisoners are held here, ...

Though he is provided with a straw mat, Matthew says he prefers to sleep on the concrete floor of his cell in the maximum-security wing of Singapore’s Changi Prison. “It’s more cooling that way,” says ...

Singapore’s Changi Prison Complex is a walled compound of guard towers and imposing gates built in the shadow of the country’s main airport. More than 10,000 prisoners are held here, ...

Singapore’s Changi Prison Complex is a walled compound of guard towers and imposing gates built in the shadow of the country’s main airport. More than 10,000 prisoners are held here, ...