Prison officials: 2000 inmates involved in prison disturbance (Raymondsville, Texas)

[TexasTowelie]

Source: Valley Morning Star

RAYMONDVILLE — Willacy County sheriff’s deputies, Raymondville police, DPS troopers, Border Patrol and every other available law enforcement agency in the region is at the federal prison in Raymondville for what appears to have escalated into a riot.

Willacy County Sheriff Larry Spence said several tents at the facility were set on around 1:30 p.m. The prison compound is made up of massive tents commonly known as a "tent city."

In a news release Management and Training Corporation, which runs the prison, said the problems started this morning when inmates refused to eat breakfast and complained about medical services at the facility.

MTC says several inmates broke out of the housing units and made their way to the recreational yard.

Read more: http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/local_news/article_b650fb84-b933-11e4-96ba-2b83cc287c42.html

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Prison officials say they used tear gas to try to bring the situation under control. The Dallas Morning News is indicating that it is a privately run immigration detention center.

[Iliyah]

1. What is it? A prison or a detention center for immigrates.

[TexasTowelie]

4. From the Houston Chronicle:

About 2,000 inmates housed at the Willacy County Correctional Center were rioting late Friday afternoon — in protest of medical services, according to officials.

Two officers and one inmate reportedly received minor injuries in the violent demonstration that officers were working late into Friday eventing. The facility houses immigrants convicted of federal crimes.

http://www.chron.com/news/local/article/Officers-working-to-resolve-riot-at-south-Texas-6092832.php

[Android3.14]

2. A lot happened between these two sentences

"The warden and other facility leaders met with the offenders to attempt to resolve their concerns and provide a resolution. The facility was put on lock down at 12:15 p.m."

[TexasTowelie]

5. Also from the Houston Chronicle:

By 12:15 p.m., the facility was placed on lockdown as officers met with offenders to try and resolve the conflict. About 45 minutes later, many offenders broke out of the housing structures and went to the recreation yard.

Inmates set fire to three of the 10 prison tents, causing minor damage, according to the news release. The facility is made up of 10 Kevlar domes that went up in a whirlwind of construction in summer 2006, and is commonly referred to as a “tent city.”

[ohnoyoudidnt]

3. It sounds like tents are not a very effective way to secure prisoners.

Of course, the way prisoners are treated and the fact that we have the highest prisoner population per capita on the planet (indicating that some probably shouldn't be there in the first place) is also an issue.

[TexasTowelie]

7. See updates in posts 4 and 5. nt

[JimDandy]

6. They kept the news of this on lockdown

until the week's news cycle was ended. Interesting what private prisons are effective at and what they're not...

[TexasTowelie]

8. Of course they did,

the private prison industrial complex doesn't want any bad publicity. See the other updates that I provided.

[Scarsdale]

10. Investors

Private prisons have investors such as Dickless Cheney, who had $80 MILLION invested in them.

[Skidmore]

13. Who is they? nt

[SoapBox]

9. "privately run"

That says a lot right there.

[Divernan]

11. Will private operator be billed for all the local law enforcement hours?

Hah! Fat chance!
Yet another innovation on corporate welfare!

every other available law enforcement agency in the region is at the federal prison in Raymondville

[Sunlei]

15. local police must love they can use all the 'torture toys' and no brutality complaints wittnesses

[marble falls]

12. The worst of two worlds - Joe Arpiao "tent city" and private corrections companies.

[Sunlei]

14. the USA mega prisons are stuffed to over flowing with angry, always hungry people..

"privately run" immigration detention center charges the state and federal taxpayers 24k per prisoner and stuffs them in tents to maximize 'private profits.' was some hope of change in 2009 but the stocks show the hunt for undocumented has increased profits.

[Trillo]

16. They went on strike?

Coming together and protesting their conditions, "... the problems started this morning when inmates refused to eat breakfast and complained about medical services at the facility."

We have seen so many instances of cops on the street escalating civilian encounters to the point of death. I guess in jail they call it a riot followed by a lockdown.

[annm4peace]

17. any news from the prisoners or their families or advocates

are there any links to outlets from the prisoners themselves ?