A&E -- Investigative Reports Keepers: A Job Behind Bars

Go on the beat with prison guards for an intimate look at the toughest job in law enforcement. They have the most dangerous beat in the nation--patrolling the corridors and yards "outside the bars" of America's penitentiaries. Each year, they suffer thousands of attacks from their charges sometimes with fatal results. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS takes you behind the prison walls for an intimate portrait of this dangerous profession. Hear harrowing stories of assaults, harassment and riots - and learn how they are handled. See incredible, uncensored footage of keepers at work, and find out for yourself why nearly one quarter of the nation's half a million correctional guards quit, resign or retire every year. This is an unflinching, unvarnished look at the men and women charged with keeping order among America's most dangerous and violent people.

• documentary