Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Guard Killed, 19 Injured in Mississippi Prison Riot

Officials battle to bring privately run facility under control

By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff

Posted May 21, 2012 1:09 AM CDT | Updated May 21, 2012 9:39 AM CDT

(Newser) – A 23-year-old guard has been killed and 16 workers injured in a riot by hundreds of inmates at a private Mississippi prison. Three inmates were also hospitalized, though one has since been returned to prison. The riot broke out at the Adams County Correctional Facility in Natchez at around 2:40pm yesterday, according to the AP. Some two dozen employees were taken hostage, and local and state law enforcement agencies had to be called in to quell the violence.

They quickly regained control of most of the prison, but one section held out until 2:45 this morning, CNN reports. "I just want people to understand that no one has gotten out and no one will," a local county sheriff assured the public during the standoff. "We have all our deputies out here and ready. The county can sleep well because we've got it secured." The Tennessee-based company running the facility did not reveal what triggered the violence. The prison houses some 2,500 prisoners—many of them illegal immigrants—for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

caged
caged   (?dnak)
Smoke rises from the Adams County Correctional facility during a prison uprising yesterday.
Smoke rises from the Adams County Correctional facility during a prison uprising yesterday.   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
8%
8%
40%
8%
25%
11%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 42 comments
CoriQ
Jun 10, 2012 3:02 PM CDT
This riot was not between gangs as noted in the press. The inmates overthrew their inmate reps who failed to reach the warden with the needs of the inmates. 1.The inmates were being addressed by the guards using foul language. 2. Inmates were not receiving adequate medical care and 6 inmates had died because of this.3. the inmates only receive clothes once every 2 years instead of every 6 months according to CCA contract. 4. The inmates were only served beans and rice without vegetables or any nutritional variety in their diet.
Observer
May 21, 2012 3:19 PM CDT
This should be happening a lot more. People in cages should be angry and violent against their captors. WTF else would you expect? Prison guards are goons that keep the inmates in dope and cell phones. 
Jeebus
May 21, 2012 1:20 PM CDT
So, what exactly is the benefit of giving public funds to private entities to lock people in cages?
 

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne