The Mini Riot - C.O.P. (Correctional Officer in Prison)

It was not too much longer after my experience with Inmate "D," that I mentioned in my previous article, that I was on at work when we experienced our first riot. Now for the purpose of this article and comparing it to other prisons I will call it a mini-riot because compared to what the men's prisons have, this was nothing, I am told.

I believe I was still in my post as the Harrison Relief Officer and on that particular day I was working on the Harrison "B" side. It was about 1415 hours (2:15 PM) in the afternoon at about the same time as shift change. At the time most of the shifts were 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM; 2:30 PM to 10:30 PM; 10:30PM to 6:30AM. For the purpose of law enforcement terminology 1st watch is graveyard, 2nd is day shift and swing is 3rd watch. At the time I was still working 2nd watch and I would have been just getting off work. However, when something like this goes down, no one gets to go home.

I was located on furthest point of the institution besides Wilson that was just across the street, so when the call over the radio came down for all security officers to report in front of the culinary, I was not able to go because I was the housing unit officer and I was required to stay behind. The only thing I remember doing is going to the front of the unit and looking down to that general area. CIW (California Institution for Women) has a lot trees that block your view so I was not able to see much, if anything that I remember, that went on. I just heard 2nd and 3rd hand reports of what went on so what really happened that day I will never know.

The report that I heard was that there were several inmates fighting in front of the culinary (kitchen) area and that when the staff that was coming on duty, they more or less dove in and started throwing inmates everywhere. Of course the stories were that they were using excessive force, but back then the staff had no pepper spray or batons. The only thing we had was handcuffs, mouths, and shear strength. I say mouths because communication was our biggest tools with the women. But if in this case the officers told them to stop fighting and they didn't stop, they had no choice but try to break it up. Of course there were other officers responding with handcuffs so eventually all that were involved were put in mechanical restraints and taken to SHU (Security Housing Unit, the lock up unit)

In a matter of minutes after that they were able to quell that situation we had to lock the whole yard down, and make sure that everyone was accounted for. Everyone had to do a count of their unit to make sure everyone was where they were supposed to be. All kitchen workers, landscapers and maintenance workers, as well as the sewing machine operators in the area called "Industry" had to report back to their housing units. Everything was locked down tighter than a clam for the first time I had ever heard of. All of the 2nd watch staff had to stay over and we are the ones that prepared sack lunches to take around the inmates for dinner that evening. We had to give them room service and take each meal to them door to door.

The only thing that disappointed us as staff was that, I believe, it was the next day if not the day after, they let the inmates out of their cells and go back on the yard. In the men's prisons, I hear, they are usually locked down at least a week after something like that happening. But sometimes because of their gender they are not as tough on the women as the men. I don't know, but maybe as I stated in the title it was a mini-riot and the story got so distorted it became a major riot, in the officers eyes, and we all felt that the women should have gotten the same treatment as the men, as far as lock down goes. Who knows?