NCJ Number
84912
Date Published
1982
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This comparative examination of riots at New York's Attica State Correctional Facility in 1971 and the Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe in 1980 focuses on common elements which are indicative of structural changes necessary to prevent future riots.
Abstract
A review of the limited research on prison riots addresses the roles of prison administrators, guards, and prisoners' personalities. Differences between the Attica and Santa Fe riots are detailed in terms of leadership, ethnic groups, levels of political consciousness, officials' responses, and negotiating tactics. The 33 deaths at Santa Fe were all murders of prisoners by other inmates, and the riot cost millions of dollars in destruction to the facilities. In contrast, prisoners at Attica caused 4 deaths while State officers killed the other 39. Prisoners at both institutions felt they were not being treated like human beings and were desperate to have their complaints made public. Other common features were severe overcrowding, brutal guard treatment of inmates, a youthful prison population, inadequate classification systems, few educational or training opportunities, and few meaningful inmate activities. Warnings of riots persisted in both prisons for months before the actual explosion, but officials had no training or established procedures for handling such emergencies. Inconsistent approaches to corrections by State administrators were combined with changes in personnel just prior to both riots. Finally, legislators and the public in both States were unconcerned about the corrections system until media attention focused on the riots. Measures to prevent future prison riots are suggested. The article contains 2 footnotes and 30 references. For related material, see NCJ 84908.