Former Home Secretary David Blunkett presents this hard-hitting documentary series in which ten youths spend ten days in prison. Each teenager has convictions ranging from theft to assault, but none of them have ever served time behind bars.

In a unique experiment, they find out what life in prison is truly like for the first time – but will it be enough to change their ways? In the final instalment, with two days remaining in the experiment, the inmates must prove to the parole board that they have sworn off a life of crime.

Closed for over a century, Scarborough Prison has reopened to accept a new batch of prisoners – ten young delinquents who are at the crossroads between a life of honest toil and a life of crime. This summer, the imposing Victorian jail is to play a part in a pioneering social experiment. Ten young men, each of whom has been in regular trouble with the police, will find out what life inside is actually like. Aged 16 and 17, they have been put forward by their parents, who have been driven to their wits’ end by their children’s behaviour.

The scheme is championed by David Blunkett MP, who will monitor the inmates’ progress and sit on the prison’s parole board. Mr Blunkett regards the project as a “second chance” for the teenagers involved. “Warning young people off a life of crime and giving them an alternative path in life surely has to make good common sense,” he says.

It is the young offenders’ penultimate night in prison. After eight days, they have settled into a comfortable routine and have come to respect their battle-hardened cellmates. So it comes as a rude shock when the ex-cons are swiftly ejected from the cells the following morning without explanation. The reality of the situation eventually begins to sink in for the boys – they must face their final 24 hours in jail alone. “It was kind of annoying because they left without saying ta-ra,” Benjamin tells the prison psychologist.

As the lads set about their day, some are coping with abandonment better than others. In woodwork class, Benjamin adds the final touches to his cabinet. “Normally I don’t finish anything,” he says. “My parents are gonna be really proud – especially my dad.”

Daniel from Liverpool, however, is struggling with the shock exit of his pal Bob. His refusal to work is disrupting the other prisoners, so he is put into solitary confinement. However, this backfires when Daniel begins to trash his cell and shout obscenities. Eventually, the prison psychologist is called in. Daniel admits that the emotionally charged week has started to take its toll – in particular the brief visit from his mother. “It was horrible at the end,” he says. “I didn’t like that bit.”

Unbeknownst to the boys, the next day they will be reunited with their mentors – albeit under very different circumstances. The ex-cons will sit on the parole board alongside Mr Blunkett and Professor Wilson and give each boy their final appraisal.

Patrick from London, who was involved in gang fights before coming to Scarborough, is first to appear before the panel. When asked what he thinks of his mentor, Stephen, it seems that Patrick now sees him as a father figure: “I’m gonna call him Uncle Steve cos he means so much to me.” The men tell Patrick they have organised bereavement counselling as part of his rehabilitation because he has yet to come to terms with the death of his father.

But the panel are in doubt as to whether Mancunian Aaron has been reformed. He smuggled two spliffs into prison and was also caught on CCTV offering drugs to Daniel. “Let’s hope your interchange with Danny was about bravado and not about what you’re going to do,” speculates Blunkett. Aaron’s cellmate, Dave, gives him a stern warning: “If I get a sniff that you’re up to no good, I’ll be down to Manchester like a bull to a red rag.”

The boys are thrilled to have their freedom back and vow never to end up behind bars. But can they achieve this in the real world without close supervision? The documentary revisits the lads two months after their release to find out.