INSIDE THE GANGSTER CODE

Ex-Gambino hood fronts TV prison gang doc

A must watch new TV series on Discovery. Lou Ferrante is inside the gangster code. Former Gambino crime family member Lou Ferrante served his time, read some books, became a born again Jew, and has now wised-up that the real money is in being a media mobster, writing books, advising on movie scripts etc. If he's making less that he was on the streets at least the only people trying to take it away from him are the IRS. He stars in a new documentary series investigating prison gangs around the world. This, of course, is the bollocks. First episode and he's hanging with some heavily inked bad muthafuckers who run their own jail in El Salvador where life comes cheap. Ever the stand up guy at one point Lou gets really outraged when they film a snitch who is getting let off 23 murders. Ultimately he seems to get their respect (everyone likes a Gambino) and comes across as a real dude and not some fake-ass actor like Danny Dyer. Watch it now, watch it here and here.

Or on You Tube

MOB BOSS SHOT IN DARING COPTER CAPER

Greek crime boss shot in failed helicopter prison escape attempt

This sounds more like a movie than the movie itself. Over 500 rounds were fired as associates tried to spring crime boss Panagiotis Vlastos from Trikala jail using a helicopter and a rope-ladder. It was the fourth escape attempt for Vlastos who was shot in the legs and is recovering in prison hospital. No-one was heard to shout "cut!" or complain about the lighting. 

Inevitably the escape attempt got a lot of press coverage. Read reports here (with a picture of the copter closing in) and here and for a profile of Vlastos from the useful Greek Criminal Profiles blog here

Daily Mail and Independent were among others that covered the story.

HER MAJESTY'S PLEASURE

HMP Aylesbury

ITV go behind the walls of some of our favourite nicks. Screws, lags, shanks, nonces, what more can you ask for? Find your streaming links here

SAN QUENTIN UNLOCKED

Jailhouse blues

Will we ever get bored of seeing life behind prison doors? I don't think so.
For those incarceration obsessives, another doc.