SACRAMENTO, CA – According to officials, Sacramento State Prison remains in a modified lockdown following a hostage stand off that lasted for more than 10 hours this past weekend. Visitation privileges have been suspended and programs are on a modified schedule at two of the prison's three facilities.

The situation began Saturday when inmate Michael Watson held nine-year corrections veteran, Sheila Mitchell, at knife point with a homemade shank. After hours of negotiation, Watson released Mitchell unharmed.

Assistant Secretary of Correctional Safety for the CDCR, Richard Rimmer, told Corrections.com that a family member helped negotiation teams reason with the inmate. Watson requested to speak with his sister, and Rimmer deployed officers to track her down in San Diego.

“His sister was very helpful and cooperative,” Rimmer explains. “He had specific questions that he wanted to ask her, but you don't want to allow direct communication. So we taped the pieces of their conversations on recorders which allowed them to communicate.”

Rimmer says Watson appeared calm after speaking with his sister, which helped negotiations proceed successfully.

Rimmer also extended thanks and congratulations to California's crisis response team, negotiators, emergency operations units, and officers and officials who worked around the clock to ensure Mitchell's safe release.