this is administrative segregation, also known as ad seg. >> the first time i entered ad seg, i was completely blown away by the cacophony of noise. every single prisoner seemed to be screaming at the top of their lungs and every single scream was an insult directed toward someone else. >> iowa state penitentiary is a maximum security institution, and there are challenges every day just by a virtue of the type of inmate we have here. many are here because of their lengthy sentences but an awful lot of them are here by virtue of their conduct at other prisons. this is the end of the road for them. >> and our cameras were rolling as the latest van full of trouble arrived. >> we're expecting 12 inmates coming in. they'll be processed in, their photos taken, height and weight and they'll be processed and sent to the appropriate cell houses. >> among those on their way to cell house 220 is jeremy fickling, a baby-faced inmate with a penchant for violence.