South Carolina Archives

Guard Locked in a Cell During Disturbance at McCormick Correctional

ByperilousDecember 28, 2020

At about 9 p.m. Sunday night, law enforcement vehicles were staged at the entrance to McCormick Correctional Institution in South Carolina according to reporting by local News Channel 6. An hour later, local media outlets as well as prisoner-run social media accounts were

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2018 National Prison Strike

ByperilousAugust 21, 2018

August 21 - September 9, 2018 (exact dates vary based on location): Prisoners with Jailhouse Lawyers Speak and other organizations issued 10 national demands with a call to action for work stoppages, sit-down strikes, hunger strikes and boycotts of the commissary. Organizers

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2018 National Prison Strike: South Carolina

ByperilousAugust 21, 2018

August 21, 2018 - September 9, 2018: Commissary Boycotts and widespread work stoppages occur in at least six facilities in South Carolina as part of the #August21 National Prison Strike. South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) claims there are no work strikes and

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Fire at Kershaw Correctional Institution, South Carolina

ByperilousJuly 9, 2018

July 9, 2018: Prisoners at the Kershaw Correctional Institution in South Carolina light a pile of garbage on fire in the center of their unit in protest of cold food, extended periods of lock-down, and having little to no access to showers. Prisoners start the fire from

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Violence at Lee Correctional Leaves 7 Prisoners Dead

ByperilousApril 14, 2018

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

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Uprising at Lee Correctional Institution, South Carolina

ByperilousMarch 23, 2018

March 23, 2018: Prisoners overpower a guard and take control of a dorm. They hold it for an hour and a half. No damage is reported to the prison, nor injuries to prisoners or staff.

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Uprising at McCormick Correctional Institution, South Carolina

ByperilousOctober 4, 2017

October 4, 2017: Prisoners take control of a unit of the prison and set fires, chase officers with knives, and climb on the roof. They are able to hold their unit for three hours until their captors regain control.

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Uprising at Trenton Correctional Institute, South Carolina

ByperilousJune 14, 2017

June 14, 2017: After a guard confiscates a prisoner's cell phone, other prisoners rally around him and fight guards. Prisoners destroy parts of the dorm and set fires in the prison yard, causing "significant damage."

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South Carolina Rebellion

ByperilousSeptember 26, 2016

September 26-30, 2016: Amid frequent shakedowns, transfers and other retaliation for participating in the nation-wide strike, a prisoner named Michael Lorenzo Jones is killed in a fight between prisoners at McCormick CI. The Department of Corrections responds with a

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2016 National Prison Strike: South Carolina

ByperilousSeptember 9, 2016

September 9-23, 2016: Prisoners issue a list of demands and those affiliated with Jailhouse Lawyers Speak report that incarcerated individuals at multiple facilities across South Carolina refuse to go to work and are locked down. They hold down work stoppages and disruptions

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