A more than 200-person inmate riot at a Riverside County facility triggered a threat assessment at every prison in California on Wednesday morning.
The uproar started at Ironwood State Prison, which is about 22 miles away from the Arizona border, at about 10 a.m. as officers escorted a sureno inmate across the yard during a contraband investigation.
It escalated into a riot when the prisoner headbutted one of the staff members as an estimated over 200 other sureno inmates rushed the officers, sticking them with fists and rocks, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Several officers were pinned down as multiple inmates kicked them in their head, face, and body.
The prisoners refused to comply with the officers’ orders. To bring the riot to an end, officers deployed chemical agents and fired off a warning shot as well as non-lethal impact rounds.
Eight staff members and one prisoner required hospitalization and were moved to another facility for a “higher level of care,” CDCR stated. They were all discharged the following day.
thetoughestbeat
Management is too worried about ensuring inmates have happy fun times, safety and security are all but forgotten.
ISP was missing many responders because the sister yard was short staffed to allow for non-designed program conversion. Also, during ISU’s raid on Facility D, staff was forced to allow the inmates access to recreation activities. It is more important for the inmates to have fun recreation than to allow for officer safety to be a priority.
The crime victims are not important, the staff is not important, but the inmates’ feelings and recreation activities are a priority.
The California Model is a middle finger to the victims. The California Model is a middle finger to the staff. The California Model is a middle finger to general public safety.