December 24, 2019: At around 7:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, at least 14 inmates attacked guards and destroyed property including a window, furniture, and surveillance cameras. According to a press release from the Department of Corrections, the incident started when “staff members confiscated food items as well as homemade alcohol” from inmates.
2019
13
Dec
Hunger Strike at El Paso Processing Center, Texas
October, 2019 – ongoing: Three prisoners at the ICE-operated El Paso Processing Center began hunger strikes within the previous two months demanding their freedom and protesting denial of due process. ICE agents are force-feeding them using tubes forced in the nose and down to the stomach.
04
Dec
Two Prisoners Barricade their Cell at Marble Valley Regional Correctional, Vermont
December 5, 2019: Two prisoners at the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility barricaded themselves in their cell and refused orders from guards, according to WCAX. The prison’s “special response team” was called in to end the standoff.
03
Dec
Detained Asylum Seekers Stage Protest at Winn Correctional Center, Louisiana
December 3rd, 2019: Detainees who are currently seeking asylum in Winn Correctional Center (WCC) refused to move back to their cells in a protest over their prolonged detention, some having spent over 8 months awaiting parole.
30
Nov
Four Prisoners Escape from Davidson County Juvenile Detention Facility, Tennessee
November 30, 2019: Four prisoners escaped from the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Facility by running out the front door while guards were distracted.
30
Nov
Majority of Prisoners Sign Petition at Nebraska State Penitentiary
Late November, 2019: 780 prisoners at the facility sign a petition addressed to the press, the ombudsman, and the ACLU to protest a range of issues from lockdowns to programming to food quality.
19
Nov
Prisoners Attempt Unit Take-Over at Southern State Correctional Facility, Vermont
November 19, 2019: Prisoners at Southern State Correctional Facility, Vermont’s largest prison, allegedly attempted to take over a unit at the prison, according to a Vermont Department of Corrections press release. Corrections Commissioner Mike Touchette said in a press release that one prisoner hit a corrections officer in the head with a blunt object while two others attacked another prisoner.
09
Nov
Attack on Guards at Rio Arriba County Jail, New Mexico
November 9, 2019: Four prisoners at the Rio Arriba County Jail have been charged with two counts of battery on a peace officer and one count of conspiracy to commit battery on a police officer each following a fight with guards.
31
Oct
Attack on Guards at Yakima County Jail, Washington
October 31, 2019: Five prisoners were charged with rioting at Yakima County Jail after a fight broke out with two correctional officers.
31
Oct
Hunger Strike at LaSalle Detention Facility, Louisiana
October 31 – Ongoing: At least five asylum seekers from India have been force-fed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after refusing to eat for almost two months, says the immigrant-advocate group Freedom for Immigrants.
