Inmates take over Indiana prison, two employees injured

April 24, 2007

A prison riot occurred at the New Castle Correctional Facility near Indianapolis, Indiana. The incident began at about 2:00 pm and order has since been restored. Two prison employees have sustained injuries.

Local newspaper reports also say for a short time inmates took over the prison. Inmates also set fires and the fire department was called. Police have been trying to get all inmates back into their housing rooms. They used tear gas to disperse the prisoners and no shots were fired. Tear gas is used to loosen crowds, especially during large protests. It can cause irritation or disabling physical effects.

The Mayor of New Castle, Indiana, Tom Nipp, dispatched all of the city police officers to the prison to protect the safety of the residents. State Police were also called in by prison officials to assist in putting down the riot.

"We are quickly collaborating with local law enforcement to properly handle the New Castle Correctional Facility situation," said Commissioner J. David Donahue. "We will keep the public updated as more details unfold."

Nipp called the disturbance, "A full scale riot."

Within the last 24 hours prior to the uprising, new inmates from Arizona had been transferred into the facility. Recently, the states of Indiana and Arizona reached an agreement in which Indiana would house prisoners from Arizona in its prison system to decrease overcrowding in Arizona prisons. The prison was built in 2002 and can house about 2,200 inmates. It currently has about 1,000 from Indiana and 600 from Arizona.