Prison Disturbances and Riots

Prison Disturbances and Riots

· Riots and disturbances continue to be a feature of life in federal and provincial correctional institutions

· 1970 – 1980 – “explosive decade”

· In the United States, there was the Attica and New Mexico prison riots

Kingston Penitentiary – 1971

· A riot broke out over the protest of inmate “undesirables” including sex offenders and informants

· Lasted 96 hours

· A group of 16 prisoners were dragged from their cells, tied up and tortured on the dome floor of the prison, which resulted in the deaths of two prisoners

· Several guards were taken hostage

· Significant sections of the prison were razed

· Canadian Army was called in to quell the disturbance

· Riot attributed to several factors including the “depressing and dehumanizing” quality of imprisonment

· Forced the early opening of Millhaven

British Columbia Penitentiary – 1975

· In June 1975, three BC Pen prisoners held 15 hostages for 41 hours

· A tactical squad moved in – classification officer Mary Steinhauser was shot to death and one of the hostage-takers was seriously wounded

Kent Institution – 1979

· Two months after Kent opened in 1979, a fire and riot resulted in $ 30 000 worth of damage

· Prisoners took a guard hostage and demanded an end to unnecessary body searches, denial of visiting privileges and the use of solitary confinement for minor infractions

Archambault Penitentiary – 1982

· Described as the “worst prison riot in Canadian history”

· An escape attempt by two inmates escalated into a major riot on July 25, 1982

· Altogether 10 prison guards were taken hostage; 7 were injured to varying degrees while 3 were brutally murdered and mutilated

· An Inquiry was established after reports of guards’ poor treatment of inmates purportedly as retribution for colleagues’ slayings

Oakalla – 1983

· Victorian-era provincial maximum-security detention centre just outside Vancouver (now closed)

· In the prison’s “worst riot”, cells were demolished and set ablaze during November 1983 in Oakalla’s West Wing

Headingley Correctional Institution – 1996

· Provincial correctional facility in Manitoba was the scene of a riot that lasted two days, resulting in correctional officers and other inmates being beaten and fire being set

· Beating of protective custody inmates was particularly brutal, with fingers being severed and one inmate falling victim to an attempted castration

· Produced $3.5 million worth of damage

Drumheller Institution – 2001

· Riot resulted in the killing of a 21-year-old inmate, whose body was paraded through the prison by other inmates

· Followed a riot six months earlier which produced over $1 million in property damage

Millhaven Institution – 2006

· Hunger strike and riot began on April 13 with prisoners in Millhaven’s J Unit

· Inmates jammed open their cell doors and began lighting fires in protest over a variety of issues, including being denied family visits, lacking proper rehabilitative programs that target violence, cognitive skills, and substance abuse, and suffering poor quality food

· One inmate sustained minor injuries from an assault

· Riot was broken up by correctional officers using tear gas canisters