36th Anniversary of Attica Prison Uprising
Posted on Thu Sep 13, 2007 at 10:50:52 PM EST
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September 13, 1971 is the date the infamous New York Attica Prison Uprising ended. It began four days earlier when inmates took over the prison to demand better prison conditions. On the 13th, Gov. Nelson Rockefeller ordered authorities to retake the prison, a bloody assault ensued and in all, 43 people were killed.
At 9:46 A.M. on Monday, September 13, 1971 tear gas was dropped into the yard and State Troopers opened fire. By the time the facility was retaken, ten hostages and twenty-nine inmates had been killed. The final death toll from the riot also included the officer fatally injured at the start of the riot and four inmates killed when "inmate justice" was administered. All ten hostages died from gunfire by state troopers and guards.
The New York State Special Commission on Attica wrote, "With the exception of Indian massacres in the late 19th century, the State Police assault which ended the four-day prison uprising was the bloodiest one-day encounter between Americans since the Civil War."
Much more is available at this PBS site.
These were the prisoner's demands:
"The Fifteen Practical Proposals"1. Apply the New York State minimum wage law to all state institutions. STOP SLAVE LABOR.
2. Allow all New York State prisoners to be politically active, without intimidation or reprisals.
3. Give us true religious freedom.
4. End all censorship of newspapers, magazines, letters and other publications coming from the publisher.
5. Allow all inmates, at their own expense, to communicate with anyone they please.
6. When an inmate reaches conditional release date, give him a full release without parole.
7. Cease administrative resentencing of inmates returned for parole violations.
8. Institute realistic rehabilitation programs for all inmates according to their offense and personal needs.
9. Educate all correctional officers to the needs of the inmates, i.e., understanding rather than punishment.
10. Give us a healthy diet, stop feeding us so much pork, and give us some fresh fruit daily.
11. Modernize the inmate educational system.
12. Give us a doctor that will examine and treat all inmates that request treatment.
13. Have an institutional delegation comprised of one inmate from each company authorized to speak to the institution administration concerning grievances (QUARTERLY).
14. Give us less cell time and more recreation with better recreational equipment and facilities.
15. Remove inside walls, making one open yard, and no more segregation or punishment.
I was just starting law school that week. Is anyone else here old enough to remember Attica?
It sure doesn't seem like we've made much progress in prison reform in the last 36 years. When you factor in that there are still people doing obscenely long sentences under the Rockefeller drug laws, it's pretty pathetic.
[Hat tip to Prison Legal News].
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