Inmates Seize Dorm At Holman Prison After Cell Phone Dispute

April 5, 2011

Inmates took control of a dorm Tuesday morning at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore after a dispute between and office and an inmate over a contraband cell phone.

At about 7:30 a.m., inmates took control of A-dorm at Holman, a maximum security prison, according to Brian Corbett, spokesperson for the Alabama Department of Corrections.

“For safety reasons, Holman supervisors ordered officers out of the dorm and into the hallway. No initial injuries or destruction of property were reported. The dorm houses approximately 115 inmates, not all of whom participated in the standoff,” according to Corbett.

Equipped with riot gear, the ADOC’s Correctional Emergency Response Team arrived and was met with continued inmate disobedience. Initial attempts at compliance were refused. At approximately 11:15 a.m., CERT, under the direction of Institutional Coordinator Grantt Culliver, entered and regained control of the dorm with no injury to staff. There were few minor injuries to inmates who refused lawful orders, none requiring off-site medical treatment.

Staff from both Holman and Fountain correctional facilities, the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Department, and the Atmore Police Department responded to the situation.

“Quick and decisive actions by the CERT team, our staff, and local law enforcement authorities help to resolve this issue, ” said Kim Thomas, ADOC Commissioner. “Everyone involved has my personal thanks for such a professional response and handling of this situation.”

The cause of the disturbance remains under investigation.

Comments

60 Responses to “Inmates Seize Dorm At Holman Prison After Cell Phone Dispute”

  1. David Huie Green on April 13th, 2011 10:16 pm

    “Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]”
    16 April 1963

    “An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. This is difference made legal. By the same token, a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow and that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal.”

    In the same letter, he also wrote:
    “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights.”

    Interesting thought there. There was no constitution before 1789, so 174 years is the maximum for Constitutional rights and, of course, part of the problem lay in the fact that the Constitution withheld those rights. Most were not slaves at all for most of that time and none had been slaves that long, a lifetime being the limiting factor.

    Still, people decided to enslave themselves to drugs and blame others for their problems.

  2. David Huie Green on April 11th, 2011 7:01 pm

    and Dr. Kiing was willing to go to jail for his open defiance of unjust laws. He didn’t do it in the dark, he didn’t profit from the misery of others, he didn’t promote a culture of violence. He acted the part of a Christian.

    This leads to the question of whether you consider his principled stance on injustice equal to selling dope to children. It seems to me you are cutting him down if so.

    even so, it is good you seem to have chilled since your previous writing.

    Daid for rightful and righteous
    comparisons and contrasts

  3. mike on April 11th, 2011 1:07 pm

    david, to paraphrase Dr. King, an unjust law is one that deserves to be broken.

  4. David Huie Green on April 8th, 2011 7:29 pm

    regarding;
    “AND – a person’s color has no bearing on whether or not i consider them a good role model, but apparently it does for you.- – - until you speak from some plane of reality, i will continue to think you’re an ignorant fool.”

    Nope. If you check up, I have never mentioned the race, nor do I care. You were the one screaming about the effect on a particular race.

    Try to think this thing through. If someone is interested in consequences based solely on race, is he a racist?

    I probably lost you there again, but shall go on as if you were still with me.

    What kind of person is a good role model?

    Is it a person who breaks the law for personal profit or one who obeys the law where possible?
    Is it a person who encourages people to stay out of trouble–including prison– by not committing crimes or one who encourages people to break the law and then scream and shout when they suffer from doing so?
    Is it a person who contributes to society or one who tears it down?
    Is it a person who helps his neighbor or one who robs his neighbor?

    Is there anyone who you would consider a poor role model of your favored group? People whose presence might be worse than their absence??

    David for reality checks

  5. David Huie Green on April 8th, 2011 7:01 pm

    regarding:
    “DRUG CRIMES. THE MAJORITY OF WHICH ARE POSSESSION. for christ’s sake. taking drugs is far different than stealing, raping, or murdering. if you equate the two, you’re just an idiot. in speaking about DRUG CRIMES, which make up THE MAJORITY OF THE FRIGGING PRISON POPULATION, yes, these people should absolutely, by all means be free to “commit their crimes.”

    Temper, temper, temper.

    Let’s turn to an impartial source for our facts since we seem to disagree:

    http://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/sp/federalprison.pdf

    which says:

    “· The majority of persons sentenced for both crack and powder cocaine offenses in 2000 were convicted of low-level functions in the drug trade. More than half (59.9%) of powder cocaine offenders were either street-level dealers or couriers/mules, while two-thirds (66.5%) of crack cocaine offenders fell into these categories.
    · The proportion of low-level offenders has been increasing in recent years. Low-level powder cocaine offenders rose from 38.1% in 1995 to 59.9% in 2000, while low-level crack cocaine offenders increased from 48.4% to 66.5% in this period.”

    Please try to understand this isn’t saying they were casual users (as you claim) rather that they were involved in selling and transporting illegal drugs.

    “BUT THEY SHOULDN’T BE ILLEGAL!” you shout!

    Fine, I actually agree with you. If drug usage were legal, the gentlemen who engage in it would be put out of business by Wal-Mart or other large suppliers. Further, the drugs would be less likely to be laced with other poisons and they would be less likely to hire and sell to minors.

    Having said that, please let us return to the fact that drug trafficking IS illegal and those who engage in it do so KNOWING the likely consequences.

    If it all possible, all laws should be obeyed until they are removed.

    David for truth

  6. mike on April 8th, 2011 8:23 am

    AND – a person’s color has no bearing on whether or not i consider them a good role model, but apparently it does for you. again, READ UP. learn something. read about the scores of black men removed from their communities and the impacts it has had.

    i am offended that you disagree with me BECAUSE YOU’RE uninformed. if you actually knew what the hell it was you’re trying to talk about and made valid points in disagreeing with me, that’s fine. in fact, i welcome it. but until you speak from some plane of reality, i will continue to think you’re an ignorant fool.

  7. mike on April 8th, 2011 8:21 am

    DAVID –

    DRUG CRIMES. THE MAJORITY OF WHICH ARE POSSESSION. for christ’s sake. taking drugs is far different than stealing, raping, or murdering. if you equate the two, you’re just an idiot. in speaking about DRUG CRIMES, which make up THE MAJORITY OF THE FRIGGING PRISON POPULATION, yes, these people should absolutely, by all means be free to “commit their crimes.” the government should never regulate what any adult puts into his or her own body. period.

    i imagine you’re a conservative, no? probably one who thinks the government intrudes too much on people’s individual rights and liberties? so why is it ok for a government to tell adults what they can and can’t ingest? or can you spare us all the trouble and just admit you’re racist and enjoy seeing millions of black men go to prison

  8. David Huie Green on April 7th, 2011 7:10 pm

    REGARDING:
    “@david – because the majority of people in prison are there for nonviolent crimes.”

    Now think real hard about what you wrote: “CRIMES”. They are in prison for crimes. If I steal all your money, that is a nonviolent crime but it is still a crime. If I sell poison which kills people over time, that is a nonviolent crime but it is still a crime. The penalties for crimes are published. Those who commit crimes know what to expect.

    What you are really saying is that people should be free to commit such crimes since you don’t want them restrained via prison. And you call me offensive?

    AND
    “millions of – - – have been forced into prison for nonviolent offenses, removing potential role models”

    You want them as role models for the next generation? Would you want them as role models if they were white criminals? Korean criminals?

    AND
    “your ignorance is what offends me, and the notion that people in prison want to be there is beyond even ignorant. it’s willfully stupid.”

    Why does my ignorance offend you? If you would be honest about it, you would admit it is not my ignorance but the fact that I may disagree with you.

    Let’s go back and review: If you willingly do what is likely to get you sent to prison, you have made a choice to go to prison. That is no role model. It is a drag on society.

    David for honesty
    even if it offends
    the sensitive soul

  9. mike on April 7th, 2011 3:42 pm

    @david – because the majority of people in prison are there for nonviolent crimes. read up. 60% of federal inmates are in for just drug offenses; in the states, the numbers hover from 35-55%. conservative politicians throughout history have criminalized the activities of poor people and minorities (populations that often overlap). Many people in prison don’t belong there, for moral reasons, and would be better served by some community-based alternative. we have an absurdly overpopulated prison system – we have 1 million MORE people in prison than China, which has more than 4 times our population. our sentencing laws and parole structure are so skewed that we lead the entire world in both rates and real numbers of incarcerated people, and the numbers of minorities incarcerated far exceed their numbers in the general population.

    So yeah it’s friggin offensive that you sit there and say people want to go to prison. millions of black men have been forced into prison for nonviolent offenses, removing potential role models and decimating black communities. there are countless scholars and academics who agree. maybe you should educate yourself. your ignorance is what offends me, and the notion that people in prison want to be there is beyond even ignorant. it’s willfully stupid.

  10. joe on April 7th, 2011 12:11 am

    it makes you wonder why we continue to house lifers in a place where they live better than some americans?
    Tax dollars at work. the world behind the walls are very different than most think. It is not utopia and not a resort. these people are violent offenders and need to be locked up. this story proves that point.

  11. jcellop on April 6th, 2011 9:21 pm

    wifeofCO….certainly, the inmates dont pay for their “free” healthcare and “free” dental care…BUT, the families/friends of the inmates do……also, because of the metal detectors and pat downs that the visitors must go through, well……i think that its more likely getting smuggled into the prison by “someone” else BESIDES the visitors.

  12. David Huie Green on April 6th, 2011 9:06 pm

    REGARDING:
    “I can’t believe so many of you think prison is some kind of luxury resort. you’re ridiculous. prison is an absolutely desolate, terrible place to be, and to insinuate that people WANT to go there is just wrong and rather offensive”

    Offensive? Why is it offensive to say people wanted to get themselves put in prison?

    Is it less offensive to say they wanted to steal, rape, poison and kill and get away with it for their entire lives than to say they committed crimes because they knew eventually they’d be caught and get to room with Big Bubba?

    Most of us don’t want to go there so we don’t do the things which are likely to gain us membership. Why should we assume those who DID do the things likely to gain them membership did so unwillingly? Some will kill to get to go to prison.

    David hoping no inmate’s
    sensitive feelings were hurt

  13. Dixie Chick on April 6th, 2011 5:01 pm

    Everyone might as well give it up. You can’t argue with stupid. :) People don’t think before they speak. Everyone has good and bad points to their arguments. I really couldn’t care less if inmates have AC or heat. Neither do the guards when they are working. For that matter the schools in Atmore have to fight for heat and air also. Please don’t get on here and tell me they don’t! Teachers and kids wouldn’t have to wear coats in classrooms during winter if we had decent heat. So have no sympathy for prisoners on that issue. You can’t deny that it does not benefit the prisoners or society for them to get an education while they get free room and board.
    Before you fuss because CO’s won’t let them put the cardboard in windows maybe you should find out why that is so you don’t look dumb.
    I also have relatives who are CO’s so i don’t feel sorry for the inmates. They did something to get there. There are bad CO’s just as there are bad people in every profession.

  14. C on April 6th, 2011 3:38 pm

    It sure sounds like someone making comments has been in prison to know so much.

  15. dad on April 6th, 2011 2:41 pm

    Mike said:

    P.S. Inmates at Fountain (I can’t speak for Holman) DO NOT have heat and A/C. When it’s cold, they shiver. When it’s hot, they sweat

    Sounds like my job.

  16. little raine on April 6th, 2011 2:18 pm

    Those people are in prison because they made bad choices, not because they made a mistake. Getting behind the wheel of a car and driving druck is a choice you make. Killing or robbing, etc is a choice. God gave us all a freewill, what we choose to do with it is our decision. Know one makes you choose the wrong path, you deside that for yourself. Buying an old car with to many miles on it is a mistake or is it a choice? We make choices everyday, some good and others aren’t.

  17. Concerned on April 6th, 2011 12:31 pm

    Also, some corrections officers are good, others are just like some of the inmates and just havent been caught in the act of doing illegal things. Its a fact also that all corrections officers do not abide by the law. They do drugs just like the inmates, some of them just havent been caught be law enforcement as of yet. Thats why when they do get caught and go to prison, most of them have to be in protective custody due to the past ways that they treated other inmates. Just sayin!!

  18. John Doe on April 6th, 2011 12:02 pm

    They should have undercover inmates at Fountain because many security officers are bringing in cell phones, drugs and alcohol and selling them to the inmates. THIS IS A FACT@!!!

  19. Neighbor on April 6th, 2011 12:02 pm

    Title of this story is not correct. The inmates did not seize the dorm, the supervisor made a very smart decision to pull his officers out. Big difference in the inmates seizing and the supervisor making a smart decision.

  20. Concerned on April 6th, 2011 11:35 am

    Well spoken Mike!!!

  21. Concerned on April 6th, 2011 11:34 am

    Debo- Some people in also in prison for unintentional accidents such as car accidents and other things. You better be careful what you say cause it could happen to you. And then what would you think about those shackles around your ankles.

  22. mike on April 6th, 2011 11:17 am

    i can’t believe so many of you think prison is some kind of luxury resort. yuo’re ridiculous. prison is an absolutely desolate, terrible place to be, and to insinuate that people WANT to go there is just wrong and rather offensive.

  23. mike on April 6th, 2011 11:10 am

    wow. unbelievable. how can so many of you think prison is a luxury? you’re all retarded

  24. WifeofaCo on April 6th, 2011 10:57 am

    Do you people not realize how many crimes are committed behind bars? Inmates get cellphones smuggled in then they turn around and have others doing there dirty work..Everyday Officers have hits put out on them. And when an inmate has uncontrolled contact with the outside world it is more likely that they will have Co’s injured or Worse have them killed.. If you don’t want to have to abide by Prison rules don’t do the crime. Not all prison have A/c .But not all law abiding citizens have it either.The inmates have better health and Dental then the Officers.And the inmates pay nothing for it. I have no sympathy for Inmates

  25. Reader on April 6th, 2011 10:17 am

    Well as you can read the person who started all of this clearly hasn’t learned any lessons in prison. Still breaking the law. Thats what got him in there in the first place, doing something he shouldn’t be doing and now look. Doing something he shouldn’t do again. Breaking the law and rules by having a cell phone. Whay can’t people learn? I am just thankful that no one was seriously hurt.

  26. Debo on April 6th, 2011 8:57 am

    I don’t care about prisoners rights… When they walk, or shimmy in shackles through those facility doors… they are NOW PROPERTY OF THE STATE! Once Inside, I have zero sympathy for what goes on. Yes, people can make mistakes etc, but PRISON isn’t a result of making a mistake – It’s usually after making A LOT of mistakes. You usually don’t get sent to prison for small non punishable misdemeanors. JUST SAYIING.

    Prison workers tend to get overlooked on how serious their job is. These people deal with some of the worst people in society on a daily basis. Prison workers have lives, family, children etc and everyday they walk into work, they are putting all of those things at jeopardy. So for that, I salute the prison workers.

    The bottom line is we need to do whatever is needed to protect the workers! Period. The “Rights” of the prisoners should be air, food, water, and shelter ANYTHING other then that is a icing on the cake.

  27. Justice on April 6th, 2011 8:39 am

    Lady and Mike have a point there. I mean, I appreciate the officers that put their lives on the line but the truth is the truth. Thank God you all dont have a heaven or hell to put people in.

  28. ProudArmyParent on April 6th, 2011 7:21 am

    lady, you are very wrong! Correctional Officers don’t prefer to sit back and turn there heads when things like rapes happening. I have known several CO’s to take on the violator, and the CO become injured in the altercation. Then the violator is sent to confinement and internal charges are brought against him. Gain time is often taken and further time is often added to him incarceration date. Surely you don’t believe all you see on TV? Correctional Officers have a job to do and most do it very well, and of those that don’t, they get weeded out by the good Officers. So when you see a Correctional Officer in uniform you need to thank him/her for protecting your butt. Maybe you didn’t know this but Florida Correctional Officers come under the FDLA, which makes them official Law Officers! (which by the way our Governor and the Florida Senate is trying to change in order to save money, but that is another issue.)

  29. Mike on April 6th, 2011 6:13 am

    “They may get hot and they may get cold, but atleast their still alive. Most of their victims are not. Just saying”

    Well this is a ridiculous statement. A very small percentage of inmates are in for Murder or Manslaughter.

  30. Not in Jail on April 6th, 2011 5:52 am

    For a few thousand bucks the prison system could purchase a cell phone jamming device that will disrupt cellular signals which would render the phones useless. But then again the warden’s personal phone wouldn’t work either while he was in the prison. So there is a trade off and what’s is the department of corrections willing to do to insure safety?

  31. huh on April 6th, 2011 1:30 am

    They should make it where they can talk to people on the phone . The jail phone has a pre approved list of people they can call only, and its collect , very expensive.

    They should just let them have the cell phones,or remove the collect restriction on the wall phone

  32. kim on April 6th, 2011 12:31 am

    They may get hot and they may get cold, but atleast their still alive. Most of their victims are not.

    Just saying

  33. retire on April 5th, 2011 11:22 pm

    well if i can put my 2 cents in i never seen any one in prison cause they missed sunday school with grand mama two weekends in a row

  34. Mike on April 5th, 2011 10:42 pm

    P.S. Inmates at Fountain (I can’t speak for Holman) DO NOT have heat and A/C. When it’s cold, they shiver. When it’s hot, they sweat.

    Misconceptions!!! Prison is a bad place folks!!!! Stop acting like prison is a cakewalk, because it is NOT.

  35. Mike on April 5th, 2011 10:39 pm

    Wow. Lots of ignorance and hatred in these comments.

    Let me set a few things straight.

    Both Holman and Fountain have a mix of violent and non-violent offenders.

    Prison is NOT anywhere you want to be. Do any of you want to go to prison? I didn’t think so.

    The food and healthcare inside prison are VASTLY INFERIOR to what the “working poor” have access to out here in the free world.

    Inmates are abused regularly. I realize some of you think they deserve it so it’s ok. But you are wrong. They are people just like you. What if circumstances out of your control had been different in your life, where would you be? Don’t be so quick to judge. The Courts have already judged them anyway (fairly or unfairly).

    I can’t believe someone is COMPLAINING that inmates have access to educational opportunities. Study after study has shown that inmates who participated in educational and substance abuse programs in prison are far less likely to return. Educational and substance abuse programs help to curtail the recidivism (returning to prison) problem that is so bad, especially in Alabama.

    So please keep your ignorant comments to yourself, and learn something about Corrections in America before you post something stupid.

  36. lady on April 5th, 2011 10:34 pm

    I know most of the prisoners are in there because they have broken the law BUT there are a lot of cases where judges have ruled harshly and all are not guilty that wind up in prison. I do know the non-violent prisoners when they work outside are given a two pieces of bread with peanut butter and two pieces of break with one piece of cheese to eat all day while doing hot, strenuous work, weed-eating,digging,etc from morning til night. Probably 90% of them are guilty as charged but that other 10% are not; some are young men who made a mistake,maybe just in fun one time and they are thrown in with the “bad guys” to be raped, beaten, etc. I think the ones that rape the others should have their time extended two-fold. Most of the time these are young men that are raped by a large,sprawling individual. This leave a scar on that young fellow when he gets out that can never be erased. This may not have been just about a cell phone but could have been someone crying out for help on one. i have never heard of the prison officials punishing these “burly” fellow for doing this dirty business. The guards turn their back to that. I hope all our young men and women wake up and find God so they don’t have to go this route.

  37. jcellop on April 5th, 2011 10:25 pm

    they were having alot of problems w/charlie manson getting a contraband cell phone not too long ago…seems he was getting caught w/one several times even….personally, ive had the pleasure of meeting several CO that were quite nice to the prison visitors…some, not so much…there is going to be good and bad, as in all jobs….unfortunately, i think that the “good ole boy” system allows the bad to get away w/some unethical behaviors (towards the inmates) at times…i believe that they (CO) feel as though they must stick together and back each other up, right or wrong…as i have told my imprisoned loved one, “its not going to be fair in here all the time- but, you got yourself in here and it comes w/the territory- follow the rules, do your time and stay under the radar”….in general, i greatly respect correctional officers for taking on a very stressful job that must be done…”good job” to all who had to handle this holman incident successfully.

  38. Tracy on April 5th, 2011 9:48 pm

    Too bad we can’t go back to the old days when prison WAS NOT somewhere you wanted to be!!

  39. s on April 5th, 2011 8:54 pm

    By the way, THANK YOU to all correctional officers. Like us in EMS, you have a usually thankless, difficult, dangerous job. Most of us appreciate all you do.

  40. s on April 5th, 2011 8:51 pm

    dear concerned: I DID have a family member in prison for TEN years. They do NOT have to “do what they have to “…..that is BS. Nothing but excuses! They have to follow the dang rules…PERIOD. As most have pointed out, while prison is never easy, it DARN WELL SHOULDNT BE.
    My sibling was never “mistreated”. He kept his nose clean, minded his own business, followed all the rules and took advantage of educational offerings. he also got great healthcare, got new glasses (which I need but cant afford even though I work full time and my tax dollars pay for inmates) and got dental work done (again that i need but cant afford–i have to pay for MY housing, electric bill, etc ).
    Also, unless you were standing there you have NO idea what “treatment” there was. Taxpayers are sick and tired of all this crap and all the excuses, the air of entitlement and coddling (yes coddling…air conditioning, tv, healthcare, free education,etc, etc).. . Yes, even when i had a brother in prison. And HE will tell you the SAME thing…do what you are supposed to do, walk the line, mind your own business, follow the rules and you wont have a problem.

  41. Justly Concerned on April 5th, 2011 8:07 pm

    Justice, would you won’t me to do my job if the inmate put cardboard up to obstruct my vision in order to bend you or that family member over a bed? Even if they were making up a “good reason” to have it up there. If I allowed one to have it up isint it only fair to let them all. The vast majority of the officers treat all the convicts as good as the individual convict allows them. The bad officers bring in the phones AND dope that started the mess today. The biggest game they play is to try and pull on those heart strings and suck you in. The only ones miss treated today were the officers doing there jobs, and have no JUSTICE by being bashed on these comments by people who do not know them or their job. If you are to be truly CONCERNED, thank a Correction Officer next time you see one, they put their life on the line every single day, and have no thanks, or JUSTICE and that is a CONCERN.

  42. CO on April 5th, 2011 6:20 pm

    Cell phones are not allowed in the prison systems. We can’t even take our own cell phones inside and I have definitely seen fights break out over a cell phone. They are a danger to the Officer’s because outside “hits” have been called out over contraband cell phones. There is a reason for not covering up the windows. We can’t see what’s going on in the dorms from a tower or from patrolling the grounds and when the window’s get covered, that’s our clue that there is a crime or a rape being comitted. As an Officer, I treat an inmate fairly until they give me a reason not to. If they want to get crazy, we will get crazy with them.

  43. Bjay on April 5th, 2011 5:59 pm

    So all of the people on here claiming inmates dont deserve anything can honestly say that you have never broken the law? Never went over the speed limit? Never made an illegal U turn? Never jay walked or tresspassed? By your beliefs all crimes are crimes and should be punished right? Your ridiculous if you think that some correctional officers dont abuse their job and mistreat inmates. I have never been to prison but I have been inb them (family members) on both sides of the law. I have seen it first hand. Having said that, This is a maximum security prison and Im sure everyone in there deserves their punishment. just dont be so naive to think that shady stuff doesnt go on in there from the workers also. Where did the phone come from? Hmmmmm.

  44. Concerned on April 5th, 2011 5:32 pm

    Proud army parent, I agree with you totally about the corrections officers doing their job and am very glad all the officers were okay!!! All im saying is just because you are an inmate doesnt mean they have rights to mistreat them. Not all corrections officers are good. Some are dirty as can be. Nobody can hear an inmates cry for any help. They do what they have too.

  45. PoudArmyParent on April 5th, 2011 5:21 pm

    Concerned, correction an inmate should have NO rights. They lost those rights when they chose to enter the system, and believe me they did make the choice! Oh and by the way an inmate has NO right to a cell phone.

    Justice, are you kidding me dignity! Dignity if they had any dignity at all they would not be in Holman Prison. FYI The reason for the riot, was a cell phone that was smuggled in that an inmate who would not turn it over.

    Reader, very true it is called getting three hots and a cot for free. Only it isn’t for free it is on us (the tax payers.)

    Now let’s show a little concern for the Correctional Officers that put their lives on the line everyday when they show up for work. I’m almost positive the officer that discovered the cell phone new his job and did it properly. It was the inmates that refused to give up the cell. That is what started it all. The guard was only doing his job and when the prisoners (and let’s stop with the political correctness, they call are PRISOINERS!) reacted in a disorderly way they put all Correction Officer and Free Will people in harms way. Now do we see why they are behind bars?

  46. Concerned on April 5th, 2011 5:15 pm

    Touch subject. Sure didnt mean to get all of you in an uproar. Wait till its your family member or your child. Never say it cant happen in your family!!!

  47. Sandra on April 5th, 2011 4:53 pm

    Justice- I wasnt joking. The ease of life that is the reward for convicts in our penal system is nothing to joke about.

  48. Laraine on April 5th, 2011 3:51 pm

    Our tax dollars give them better than they had on the outside. It’s ashame they have health coverage, dental, eye, what ever they need. Not to mention color television, radio, an education program, a warm place to sleep in the winter, A/C in the summer. I know people who don’t have running water. People who have to make a choice of food or electricity each month. So while your feeling sorry for these people who couldn’t live by the laws, blow your nose and wipe your eyes and get over it. 8 out of 10 will go right back in with in a year or shorter.

  49. Justice on April 5th, 2011 3:21 pm

    who cares where the non-violent prisoners go? The point is THEY have all committed a crime. A man at Fountain Correctional who received a DUI & the rest of the judge’s deal could have easily crashed into a car with innocent passengers. With that being said Kay there’s no such thing and Sandra please don’t ever make a mistake .KARMA just may back fire with that little chain gang joke. WOW

  50. s on April 5th, 2011 3:19 pm

    Im in and out of these prisons in my job capacity. No it is not the Holiday Inn but I can assure you that they have MORE than adequate living accomodations, food and in fact BETTER health care and dental care access and climate control conditions than many LAW ABIDING citizens. In addition, they are afforded FREE educational opportunities that us law abiding citizens have to PAY FOR. By the way, us taxpayers are PAYING FOR all the things required for the inmates through our taxes.
    Rules are RULES and should be followed period, even if it is about not covering up windows. There is a REASON why the windows are not to be covered. The REASON inmates are where they are in the first place is because they didnt “follow the rules” on the outside!!! There is NO VALID EXCUSE
    for the inmates misbehavior and stupid actions. There IS running water in the prison; have you not had a plumber have to come to your home to work on a pipe and have to shut the water off in order to make repairs?! Please….theres no excuse for what happened.
    Besides being in and out of the prisons for my job, I also have or have had family members on both sides of the prison system…one that works in the system and my only sibling that was in prison for 10 years. So its safe to say that I have a pretty good idea from both sides of the fence. I assure you some inmates have NO problem harming and/or killing other inmates or guards. Quit looking for excuses to justify breaking the rules, there are NONE. You dont like the way you are treated in prison, the dont commit crimes that put you there.

  51. Reader on April 5th, 2011 3:08 pm

    I personally think we need to stop catering to prisoners. They have it easier inside jail then out in the real world. I see it every day. Inmates get out and before you know it they are right back in jail. Why? Well why not. Three meals a day, a roof over your head that you don’t have to pay for and your buddies there to keep you company. If we were allowed to have a prison system like Arizona has where the inmates had to do actual hard labor for their time and not have everyday luxuries, then maybe they wouldn’t be repeat offenders. So Kay I agree with you fully. Stop breaking the laws and you won’t be in jail! I am sure the law and attorneys and a peer or jurors didn’t put you there just because. There was a reason behind it. Treated unfairly? I think not. They have it way better in jail then some honest hard working people do outside in the real word.

  52. jp on April 5th, 2011 3:03 pm

    Can we fire the “Big Cheese” back up? When I was growing up, I always liked it when the lights flickered on and off.

  53. Justice on April 5th, 2011 2:56 pm

    This is just another situation which shows that our justice system is completely foul. Yes, “some” inmates were involved in crimes that they are now being held accountable for but where’s the dignity? This story clearly states the time, place, but not the “why”… What exactly did the inmates respond to? why did they take control? I have read and viewed pictures and articles showing how the prison systems are overpopulated and how the guards treat them. NO …i’m not stating this to ask tax payers to pay out more money for inmates to have nice comfy beds to lay in. I’m simply saying that inmates disobeying prison laws such as not putting cardboard up to windows when its storming, causing chaos because there is no running water SHOULD NOT be gased or BEAT because of such actions.

  54. Sandra on April 5th, 2011 2:40 pm

    Treated fairly my behind! Thats whats wrong with our prison system now. The inmates are given accomodations and food far better than most of the working poor in the area and they have the nerve to riot and claim they are treated unfairly. Cry me a river convicts. I wish that they were in a tent and were made to work on chain gangs like the sheriff in Arizona does his convicts. No fences, just paint a line on the ground and tell em up front that if they cross it they will be met with lethal force. GRRRRR

  55. Kay on April 5th, 2011 2:36 pm

    Sweetie there is a remedy for your family members problem. Tell them
    don’t break our laws and go to prison. Those laws are to protect ME and
    MINE so it’s real hard to care how they treat them.

  56. really on April 5th, 2011 2:36 pm

    well said John

  57. co on April 5th, 2011 2:22 pm

    inmates where i work are not at all treated unfairly…..you family members need to wake up and see that they will draw you into anything to make you feel sorry for them. you sound ridiculous…..
    we are so short staffed that i am just waiting for this to happen where i work. inmates know this and will take advantage of any situation they can.

  58. john on April 5th, 2011 2:15 pm

    Concerned, only violent crime criminals are held at Holman Prison. The “non violent” ones are held at Fountain.

  59. Concerned on April 5th, 2011 1:57 pm

    And inmates need to be treated properly also when in lock up. They also have rights. Everybody is not in prison for violent crimes and still are treated like garbage in a place like this. Im not defending what was done by any means, but I have a family member in a prison and the treatment is uncalled for.

  60. Kay on April 5th, 2011 1:49 pm

    They cause trouble outside then cause trouble inside. I hope it adds lots of
    time to their sentences because obviously they haven’t learned anything yet
    and we don’t have CERT out here. Our officers have enough to do out here
    already without putting bad guys back on the street they already had to
    capture.