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| Inmates Riot in Puerto Rican Prison |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 02/14/2003 |
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Inmates rioted in a Puerto Rican prison last week, prompting officers to use tear gas, which sent 39 inmates and officers to hospitals for treatment, officials said. The inmates attacked officers as they were carrying out a surprise check of their cells, said Jose Guillermo Aponte, spokesman for the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation. Doctors treated 15 inmates for tear gas inhalation and 10 others for injuries from their clash with officers in an annex of the Rio Piedras Correctional Complex in suburban San Juan, Aponte said. Fourteen officers were treated for tear gas inhalation, bruises and cuts, he said. Five inmates were transferred to an outside hospital while the others were treated at the prison hospital and released, officials said. The prison complex, commonly known by the name of its Oso Blanco prison, is the second largest in Puerto Rico, Aponte said. The riot occurred in a section that holds 180 prisoners. Prisoners serving sentences there are held under minimum- and medium-security, and some have yet to be sentenced, Aponte said. Those who participated in the riot will face charges including aggravated assault, attempted murder and inciting a riot, Corrections Secretary Miguel Pereira said. Puerto Rico's prisons have been criticized for lax security that has allegedly allowed some inmates to deal drugs. Since July 1, some 68 inmates have escaped from correctional institutions in the U.S. Caribbean territory. |
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