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| Lewis prison inmates under investigation after confrontation |
| By The Arizona Republic |
| Published: 05/10/2004 |
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Nine inmates at the Arizona State Prison Complex - Lewis are being investigated for instigating a confrontation between inmates and corrections officers on Friday. The incident forced authorities to lock down the Buckeye facility. About 100 inmates refused to leave a recreation yard for two hours on Friday after a fight between two convicts. Another 50 inmates refused to leave the chow hall. When a corrections officer tried to break up the fight on the yard, inmates threw rocks and water bottles at him, said Cam Hunter, spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections. An officer in the tower then used a "stinger" in an attempt to control the crowd, Hunter said. Stinger rounds are similar to buckshot but they are made of hard rubber rather than metal. Hunter said the inmates did not riot, but they still refused orders to lie down in the yard. "We have non compliance," Hunter said, "and they have to be compliant." Prison officials had to call in the Designated Armed Response Team to force the inmates in the Buckley Unit to comply with orders. When the teams arrived, the inmates followed orders to sit and then lie down, Hunter said. They were handcuffed and returned to their cells. No injuries were reported. Buckley is a medium-high security facility that houses inmates who have committed violent crimes or whose behavior is problematic. The inmates identified as instigators have been placed in isolation. Hunter said they would be transferred to the Eyman complex in Florence, which houses the state's most dangerous inmates. Visitation will be cancelled today for the Buckley Unit, Hunter said. Visitors will be allowed on Sunday except for the 150 inmates who refused to comply with orders on Friday. The Lewis facility was the site of a 15-day hostage standoff in January during which two inmates gained control of the tower on a different yard, the Morey Unit, and held two corrections officers captive. |
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