NCJ Number
107316
Date Published
1987
Length
81 pages
Annotation
This manual presents the results of a survey of correctional officers to determine the effects a prison riot had on them; newspaper accounts of the riot at the Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia, S.C., on April 1, 1986; and discussions of methods for coping with traumatic stress in correctional settings.
Abstract
Inmates at the 1,000-prisoner institution overpowered guards, set fires, and set other prisoners free. The disturbance began at 7:30 p.m. Prison officials regained control at 11 p.m. The rioting was blamed on overcrowding at Kirkland, which was designed to house about 500 inmates. In December 1986, 182 correctional officers completed a survey that asked about nightmares, headaches, job attitudes, weight gain or loss, drinking habits, recreational and church activities, family relations, and use of sick leave since the riot. Thirteen of the officers had been taken hostage during the riot. About three-quarters of the officers had not experienced nightmares, headaches, or sleep loss. Most retained their confidence in the prison staff, did not have a desire to change jobs, and did not experience changes in weight or drinking habits. Sixty-three percent said that staff morale was the same since the riot; 73 percent said they would use counseling if it were available. Officers mentioned more security, more training, and more communication as the main ways this riot could have been prevented. Listening to inmates' problems was regarded as the most important step to prevent future riots.