In a prison in Western Illinois,

guards dragging and carcerated man to an area

out of the view of cameras.

That's when they started using me as a batter

and I slamming my head up against the walls in the door.

Oops, I'm sorry. Oops, I'm sorry.

Guards knew about this blind spot

and this man claims they used it for beatings.

Society looks at us like we deserved it.

You know, he's a prisoner. He and Jail for something.

And it's only in extreme and severe cases

that something is brought to attention

when they kill someone.

I'm Shannon Heffrinan and this is Motive,

WBEZ's investigative podcast.

Prisons are one of the most hidden places in the country.

My reporting has unearthed abuse and cover-ups.

This season, we take a closer look at those stories.

What happens when you put a prison in a small town,

where everyone knows someone who works at the facility?

She said we were going to go into a cell

and you know, whoop up on them

...