August 15, 2019: SWAT teams responded to a “disturbance” at the Juvenile Justice Center in New Orleans. Officials differed on the details of the incident.
2019
03
Jun
Disturbance at Alder Conservation Camp, California
June 3, 2019: Three prisoners and one staff member were injured after what the California Department of Corrections called a “riot” at Alder Conservation Camp. While details remain unclear, about 40 prisoners reportedly participated in the disturbance at the camp that houses about 100 minimum security prisoners.
01
May
Uprising at Bell County Detention Center, Kentucky
May 1, 2019: At least five inmates flooded cells by clogging toilets and shower drains, set off fire alarms, and ripped a TV off the wall. The inmates then allegedly used pieces of the broken television as weapons to threaten officers that came into the cell.
01
May
Disturbance at Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center, Colorado
May 1, 2019: At least 8 detainees in the Cedar Lodge housing unit of the state-run treatment facility for juvenile offenders fought guards during a disturbance. The causes and details of the disturbance remain unclear, but 4 juveniles and 10 staff members were injured with 4 staff members being transported to the hospital for treatment.
15
Mar
Disturbance at Covington County Jail, Alabama
March 15, 2019: During a transfer of three prisoners, a group of “unruly” prisoners engaged in what the sheriff’s department called a “riot”—although they did not specify what that entailed. According to the sheriff’s department, the prisoners were upset because they believed that one of the prisoners being transferred had been pushed to the floor, although the sheriff claims the prisoner actually jumped.
2018
21
Sep
Disturbance at Palm Beach Youth Academy, Florida
September 21, 2018: At least six juvenile detainees reportedly grabbed staff who were trying to take another boy back to his cell. During the melee, the boys flipped tables and threw chairs, threatened staff and destroyed property. Specific details remain unclear. Following the event, at least six detainees are charged with battery.
17
Aug
Protest at South Central Correctional Center, Missouri
August 17 – 21, 2018 (exact end date uncertain): Prisoners in the administrative segregation (ad-seg) unit engage in a collective protest in order to raise grievances regarding conditions in the unit. Prisoners use a tactic of refusing their cellmates on the basis of protective custody, forcing the prison to remove them from the double bunked ad-seg cells.
27
Jul
Prisoners Hack JPay Tablets, Idaho
July 27, 2018: Idaho prison officials say 364 inmates exploit a software vulnerability in the JPay tablets they use for email, music, and games to collectively transfer nearly a quarter million dollars into their accounts.
14
Apr
Violence at Lee Correctional Leaves 7 Prisoners Dead
April 14- April 15, 2018: Guards refuse to intervene for hours while fights spread to multiple units of the facility. Due to broken locks on cell doors, prisoners are unable to lock themselves in cells for protection. In the end, seven prisoners are dead, some as a result of prolonged lack of medical attention. The event is the deadliest prison disruption since the Lucasville Uprising in 1993. It captures national media attention and leads prisoner organizers to accelerate calls for a national prison strike on August 21- September 9, 2018.
2016
26
Jul
Uprising at Vanderburgh County Jail, Indiana
July 26, 2016: Prisoners at the Vanderburgh County Jail refused to be handcuffed, flooded their cell, put soap on the floor to trip the guards when they entered and used bed bunks and mattresses as barricades and shields. Sheriff Dave Wedding stated: “They were yelling, screaming, and they start violently kicking on our doors and pounding on the windows and these were nine people in a housing unit of about 70 people or so. Sometimes that can incite other people to follow their lead so we could’ve had bigger problems.”
