NCJ Number
175209
Date Published
1997
Length
161 pages
Annotation
This book compares an overview of the 1980 New Mexico State Prison riot by a sociologist who studied the riot extensively with a subjective account of an inmate who lived through it.
Abstract
During the 36 hours of the riot, 33 inmates were killed by other inmates, and many victims were tortured and mutilated. An additional inmate died several months later from injuries caused during the riot. As many as 200 inmates were severely injured from beatings, stabbings, and rapes, and many more suffered less serious injuries. In addition, scores of inmates were treated for overdoses of drugs taken from the prison's pharmacy during the riot. Seven of 12 correctional officers who were taken hostage were beaten, stabbed, or sodomized, although no hostages were killed. Correctional officers and many more inmates would have died in the riot had it not been for the heroic efforts of some prisoners who risked their lives to save others from harm. The sociologist indicates that the riot was a dramatic and explosive episode in a continuing pattern of disorder that had its roots several years earlier. The inmate's account of the riot is based on his own experience and on conversations he had with others who survived the event. References