Jail Date

New film-maker Lizzie Wingham's documentary asks why increasing numbers of men are choosing to date women behind bars over the girl next door. Wingham meets Essex boy Richard, who is prepared to forego sex while he waits for Beckey, who is serving a life sentence for murder in Texas.

Meanwhile, in Wisonsin, Mike is waiting for his jail date Sheila's imminent release. The couple plan to live together, but have yet to meet, or even speak on the phone: 'I've probably written a hundred letters', says Mike, 'and when I was married I don't think I had a hundred conversations with my wife in five years.'

The extremity of these relationships is nothing new to Angel; he married a woman serving a life sentence for murder after writing to her for two years. She's never been to his house, but clothes he has bought for her hang in his wardrobe, and each week he drives 1,200 miles through the night to visit her, even though the couple are not allowed to touch and have never been alone. 'I'm crazy in love,' says Angel.

But who's really in control of these relationships: the men on the outside or the women behind bars? When Wingham tracks down Richard's girlfriend Beckey in jail in Dallas, she's clear on the answer: 'Probably me, I ain't gonna lie.'