Cimarron Correctional Facility, Cushing, Oklahoma
March 3, 2013
A four hour uprising occurred at Cimarron Correctional Facility, a private prison owned by the Corrections Corporation of America. Prisoners in a single housing unit smashed windows, breached security doors, broke locks and electrical equipment, and knocked holes in the walls.
According to a prison incident report, “inmates had fashioned weapons out of destroyed property and were throwing items at staff as they entered the pod, [and] bean bag rounds and pepper balls were used to gain compliance and protect staff.”
An email from the facility’s Department of Corrections contract monitor described the aftermath and damage and said the incident had all the elements “of a major disturbance.” The disturbance allegedly started as a dispute between Puerto Rican inmates and staff after several inmates refused to go on lockdown for the 2 p.m. inmate count.
Citations:
“Prison disturbance quelled in Cushing”, KFOR, March 3, 2013.
“Violence erupts at Cushing private prison”, Tulsa World, March 6, 2013.
