Prison complex still on lockdown day after fights

By Gentry Braswell
WICK NEWS SERVICE
Published/Last Modified on Friday, May 9, 2008 3:06 PM MDT


SIERRA VISTA — The Mojave Unit at the state prison facility in Douglas remained locked down Thursday afternoon.


The lockdown continued a day after unrest at the prison.

Nolberto Machiche, spokesman for the Arizona Department of Corrections, said the cause of the unrest is still under investigation.

Six inmates were transported for medical attention — at least one of them by air — after what the Department of Corrections public affairs office described again Thursday as  different fights that occurred at about the same time Wednesday morning.

The prison staff responded to the incident about 10 a.m.

The Douglas Fire Department was called to the prison complex about 10:30 a.m. and waited nearby at the Bisbee-Douglas International Airport for prison medics to bring out injured people.

The Elfrida Fire Department also provided assistance.

As of 3:30 p.m. Thursday, five of the six inmates transported for medical attention had been treated and released, and they had been returned to the Douglas prison facility, Machiche said.

The identity, location, type of injury and condition of the inmate who remained at a hospital was not released because of the Department of Corrections’ civil liability oversight for U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act rules, Machiche said.

Machiche said the incident involved only Latino inmates, but commented no further on the reasons for or circumstances surrounding Wednesday’s violence.

Whether the confrontations among the inmates were caused by incidental commingling of unfriendly subpopulations, Machiche was yet unable to say.

“We are, as a department, looking at the best ways to best maximize bed space as the population increases, so we’re constantly moving inmates around,” he said. “The motive of it still remains unknown. We don’t know what the true motive was. We’re still conducting investigation, and until it’s complete, we won’t know what happened.”

Interviews of all inmates involved are being conducted as part of the investigation, Machiche said.

The Mojave Unit is a 920-bed medium security facility at the prison at 6911 N. BDI Blvd.

There are also four minimum-security facilities that have a total of 1,781 beds.

Comments

Write a Comment

Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. They review submitted comments periodically during the day for offensive or off-topic content before posting. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The Douglas Dispatch is not liable for messages from third parties.

DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
* Personal Information (phone numbers, addresses, etc.)

Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in douglasdispatch.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the Douglas Dispatch. The Douglas Dispatch does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized Douglas Dispatch spokespersons.

Your thoughtful contribution to the online discussion is appreciated.

(optional)
   









Contact Us

Email the Editor
530 11th Street (85607)
P.O. Drawer H
Douglas, AZ 85608
tel: 520.364.3424
fax: 520.364.6750