NCJ Number
82061
Date Published
Unknown
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The report describes a disturbance at Attica State Prison (New York) in 1976 that involved a confrontation between one inmate and several guards. The incident is viewed from both the guards' and the inmates' points of view.
Abstract
Report information was developed through investigation efforts by special counsel and four law students. Investigators spoke with 60 inmates and 30 officers and reviewed relevant police and administrative records. Public hearings were also conducted. The dispute involved a cell search which was resisted by the inmate involved. The inmate was allegedly beaten by guards; a medical examination revealed that the inmate had sustained abrasions, hematomas, swellings, and a fractured jaw. According to the inmates, the officers provoked McQueen by tearing apart legal files and other possessions upon entering the cell. Although the officers involved declined to give the investigators their version of the incident, their reports to State police indicated that the cell search was routine and that the inmate injured several guards before being subdued. Unanswered questions remain regarding the officers' motivation for conducting the search and precisely what made it necessary to subdue McQueen. The officers' refusal to answer questions is a disservice to the public because the truth should be known and the otherwise unrestricted power of correctional officers should be checked. The officers' plea of self-incrimination, although legal, seriously impedes any attempt to improve the State's prison system. No references are cited.