This series explores the lives of current prisoners and staff as well as delving into a dark history of hangings, riots | dHNfUkFSN1ZlSkpGaWc
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00:00I witnessed the assault on him. He was severely beaten, bones broken, space washed in, all things like that, you know what I mean.
00:09There were going to be reprisals.
00:11At about 7.45pm, two prisoners on the top flat took an officer hostage.
00:16They'd actually chased an officer with a knife.
00:19Officers on the lower flats made an attempt to get the upper hand.
00:23Getting as many prisoners locked up as they could.
00:26A lot of us were thrown into one cell.
00:30They started throwing the beds over and all that sort of thing.
00:33That's when they took control.
00:37The riot bell went off and that's when it just, all mayhem broke loose.
00:44There were about 300 of them, all charging into the hall.
00:47They charged up the stairs, so everybody out of their cell, throwing out beds, their lockers, everything that you could get, blocking the stairways.
00:56They got heavily pounded. One of the officers, he had blood pouring from his head.
01:03The prisoners were showing them that we're not accepting this.
01:06Yous are taking liberties and setting about one guy, you know, and it'll be battened.
01:09And that was the message.
01:11Don't stop your vitality because we're going to rebel.
01:14As the sun rose the next day, rioters could be seen on the roof of B Hall.
01:19Fifteen prisoners controlled B Hall with their three hostages.
01:25OK, we're not exactly angels, but that doesn't give them the right to treat us like dirt and mentally and physically torture us.
01:37They want an immediate public inquiry into brutality at Birlinnie.
01:41And the inmates say it has nothing whatsoever to do with the acute overcrowding at the prison.
01:45They allege a number of inmates have been beaten in recent weeks.
01:50A woman turned up with her young children.
01:54And at that time, her husband was on the roof. You could physically see him.
01:58If I remember correctly, his name was Ronnie.
02:00Ronnie! Ronnie! You've got to get help! Come down!
02:05My son was in the pram. He was about two months or something, two or three months old at that time.
02:12Are you all right? You're all the men there was!
02:16It'll just bring a wee thing to the throat, emotional.
02:19Ronnie! Ronnie, are you all right?
02:22What did they do to you, mate?
02:24They're breaking away from me and the women. I'm worried for you up there.
02:27Come down!
02:28There's no way. We've given up now.
02:31Through the week, temperatures plummeted as low as minus five.
02:37The men appeared ragged and dispirited,
02:39perhaps beginning to feel the effects of lack of sleep and proper meals and the numbing cold.
02:45Even the brief bout of stone-throwing appeared little more than a token gesture of defiance.
02:50Two of the hostages were released, in return for additional supplies.
02:55Allegations about the brutality that sparked the riot began to be taken seriously.
03:02Strathclyde Police today confirm that they have received a complaint
03:07alleging assault on a prisoner at Barlinnie Prison.
03:11People were getting restless. People were getting tired.
03:14It was dying down. It was ready to give up.
03:20The rooftop siege at Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow has ended.
03:23This protest has become the longest of its type in Scottish prison history.
03:28The captured riot shields thrown from the roof after 109 hours signalled the end of the siege.