U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Prison Disturbances, April 1990

NCJ Number
133851
Author(s)
J Woolf; S Tumin
Date Published
1991
Length
608 pages
Annotation
A formal inquiry regarding six prison riots in Great Britain in April 1990 focused on the events and causes of the riots, the ways that correctional personnel responded to them, and recommended measures to prevent future prison disorders.
Abstract
The six riots were the most serious of those that occurred during April and took place at Manchester, Glen Parva, Dartmoor, Cardiff, Bristol, and Pucklechurch. Information was gathered from hearings; letters from inmates, correctional personnel, and others; document reviews; and meetings with correctional personnel, inmates, individuals, and organizations. Results indicated that the causes were overcrowded and unsanitary prison conditions, negative inmate-staff relations, inadequate attention to prisoners' rights, inadequate personnel training, and a lack of leadership in the Prison Service. Recommended changes include continued management reforms, improvements in inmate-staff relations and staff-management relations, more inmate visits and other programs, and other measures. Detailed descriptions of each prison's disorders, photographs, lists of meeting participants, and related materials are included.