The riot Sunday at the high-security U.S. Penitentiary in Florence sounds like a terrifying scene: 200 of some of the most dangerous federal prisoners, armed with homemade weapons, engaged in a melee in the prison yard.
Guards shot at them from the towers, killing two.
It’s far from the first troubling incident at the complex of four prisons in southern Colorado. A thorough investigation of the conditions leading up to the disturbing turn of events is in order.
We’re glad to see U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar pushing for such reviews from the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Prisons and the Government Accountability Office.
It is the government’s responsibility to maintain order in these institutions not only for the welfare of inmates, but for the safety of prison staff and nearby communities.
Reports about the incident Sunday are sketchy, but it appears the fighting pitted black inmates against white supremacists. Aryan Brotherhood members are said to have been celebrating the birthday of Adolf Hitler, and racial slurs were directed toward black inmates.
The prisoners were warned to stop fighting. Guards tried to break it up by firing warning shots from the towers. Finally, they fired the lethal rounds.
The prisoners who died were Brian Scott Kubik, 41, who was white, and Phillip Lee Hooker, 43, who was black. Five other inmates were injured, either stabbed by other prisoners or injured by shots fired from the towers.
State Rep. Buffie McFadyen, who represents the Florence area, has said that perhaps 500 rounds were fired at the prisoners in an effort to break up the fighting.
It’s difficult to say at this juncture whether understaffing, a critical issue at the prison complex over the last few years, played a part in the incident.
Last year, seven correctional staffers were injured at the prison in what was called a near riot. Prison workers and lawmakers spoke out about what they saw as understaffing.
Not having enough guards also has been an issue at Supermax, a neighboring prison in the complex that houses the most notorious killers and terrorists. Staffing is a complex-wide issue, since the prisons transfer officers between facilities to meet security needs at any given time.
It may be that inmates too dangerous for the U.S. Penitentiary are being housed there instead of higher-security prisons. McFadyen, in an interview with the Pueblo Chieftain, said she understands there isn’t room at the more secure facilities.
Prisons are, by definition, filled with dangerous people capable of horrid acts. It is incumbent upon the federal bureau of prisons to maintain order and safety.
We hope federal oversight authorities will take seriously the problems at the federal complex near Florence and propose solutions for what appears to be an increasingly dangerous place.
