New Castle, Indiana: Full-scale riot at private prison (with photos)

Inmates rioted at a prison near New Castle on Tuesday afternoon, setting at least one fire in the prison yard and prompting the state to mobilize emergency squads. A group of prisoners brought in from Arizona were believed to have started the disturbance at about 2 p.m. at the New Castle Correctional Facility, said J. David Donahue, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Correction. Inmates Riot At New Castle Prison
Two Prison Staff Members Injured, State Says
April 24, 2007
http://www.theindychannel.com

INDIANAPOLIS -- Inmates rioted at a prison near New Castle on Tuesday afternoon, setting at least one fire in the prison yard and prompting the state to mobilize emergency squads.

A group of prisoners brought in from Arizona were believed to have started the disturbance at about 2 p.m. at the New Castle Correctional Facility, said J. David Donahue, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Correction.

Two prison staff members were injured and were receiving treatment, the department said.

Not long after the disturbance started, video from 6News' helicopter showed dozens and perhaps hundreds of people -- apparently prisoners -- standing outside the facility. Smoke from at least one fire outside the building rose into the air.

At about 4:30 p.m., authorities said they were starting to get the prisoners under control. Less than 30 minutes later, video from 6News' helicopter showed many inmates lying on the ground as officers stood nearby.

Several people who claimed they were in contact with prison staff by cell phone told 6News that many of the Arizona inmates have been dissatisfied with circumstances there and played a major role in starting the riot.

Police officers had searched houses near the facility in the afternoon, but at 4:30 p.m., state police spokesman Rod Russell told reporters that no inmates had gotten beyond the property's fenced perimeter. He said some prisoners still were inside their holding cells.

Several police agencies -- including the Indiana State Police, the FBI, the Henry County Sheriff's Department and the New Castle Police Department -- said Tuesday afternoon that were called to assist.

Arizona Prisoners Began Arriving Last Month

Indiana last month reached an agreement with Arizona to house some of their prisoners at the New Castle facility, in part because the New Castle prison wasn't even half full and because Arizona needed to free space in their own system.

Katie Decker, a spokeswoman with the Arizona Department of Corrections, when asked about the disturbance at the New Castle prison, said: "We're working hand-in-hand with Indiana officials on this situation."

About 630 Arizona inmates are at the prison, Decker said.

In mid-March, before the Arizona inmates arrived, the facility had 1,038 inmates. The facility opened in 2002, and its inmate capacity is 2,416.

Decker said Arizona needed to send inmates out of state because it had 4,000 more prisoners than it should handle.

"It isn't something like to do, but when you're looking at a crunch, you have to put them where you can," said Decker, who added that Arizona also has inmates in Oklahoma.

New Castle is about 40 miles east of downtown Indianapolis.






Officers move inmates to outter perimeter of prison while searching cell blocks for others involved in riots.


Smoke billows over the New Castle Correctional Facility as Sheriff deputies arrive after a inmate disturbance in New Castle, Ind., Tuesday, April 24, 2007. Two staff members were injured in the disturbance Tuesday at a medium-security prison that began when inmates from Arizona and Indiana clashed, authorities said. (AP Photo/Mike McKown)


Members of the Indiana state Police SWAT team arrive at the New Castle Correctional Facility after a prisoner disturbance at the facility in New Castle, Ind., Tuesday, April 24, 2007. Two staff members were injured in a disturbance Tuesday at a medium-security prison that began when inmates from Arizona and Indiana clashed, authorities said. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)