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| full lockdown has been ordered at the Oregon State Penitentiary |
| By Alan Gustafson , Statesman Journal , statesmanjournal.com |
| Published: 04/28/2011 |
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Altercations between white and Hispanic inmates stir dayslong search for weapons A full lockdown has been ordered at the Oregon State Penitentiary because of a string of racially motivated fights between white and Hispanic inmates, prison officials said Wednesday. All 2,079 inmates at the maximum-security prison in Salem will be confined to their cells while the prison is searched for weapons, officials said. Prison administrators could not recall the last time the entire penitentiary was scoured for weapons. The lockdown is expected to last "a number of days," said Jennifer Black, a Corrections Department spokeswoman. Intensive security measures were taken Wednesday in the wake of multiple brawls that have occurred since Sunday. Officials linked all of the fights to racial conflict. Eighty-one inmates were involved in two fights Sunday: six tangled in the recreation building, 75 more battled in the prison's outdoor recreation yard. Staffers fired one warning shot and administered chemical spray to control Sunday's violence. All 81 inmates were removed from the general prison population and escorted to segregation cells. All prison visits and activities were suspended for the rest of Sunday, and the prison was placed on lockdown at the time. By Tuesday, officials said the prison was on the verge of returning to normal operations. However, more violence broke out Tuesday evening. This time, fights flared in a prison cellblock known as D-block. Nineteen inmates reportedly were involved in these altercations. They, too, were sent to segregation for fighting. About 7:45 a.m. Wednesday morning, more fights erupted in D-block. Fifteen inmates were involved; all of them earned tickets to "the hole" — inmate slang for segregation. Racial strife was a common link in all of the fights, officials said. However, they stopped short of characterizing the battles as gang-related. Click here to Read More. |
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