Prison Uprising Research Paper

Who knew that an uprising that occurred in the fall of 1971 at a New York correctional facility would help change the American penal system forever? It was the culmination of a storm that had been brewing for months. There was a tension between the guards and inmates that had not gone unnoticed. With little to no attention given to the circumstances of the inmates, they had had enough.
Earlier that year during the summer months, inmates had come together and participated in peaceful protests. These protests were an attempt to get corrections officials to improve the horrid living conditions at Attica. The sudden unity of the multicultural inmates struck fear in the prison officials. However, no agreements were made and overcrowding was still an issue.
The day before the uprising occurred, prison guards had attempted to diffuse what they perceived to be sparring between a black and a white inmate. The two inmates were said to have been rough-housing during a warm up for a football game out on the yard. A confrontation kept the guards from taking any further action at that time. Other inmates began to make uproar. That night, the two inmates from the incident on the yard were taken from their
News crews were already on location at the request of the inmates during prior days to witness negotiations. State troopers and guardsmen were called in to assist in the retake. Helicopters were used to drop tear gas into the yard where inmates were assembled. Though Governor Rockefeller and Commissioner Oswald had already agreed to the majority of the demands, the inmates still faced a violent retaliation in the midst of the retaking. Over 2,000 rounds were fired over a 9 minute time period, killing 29 inmates and 10 hostages. Inmates had been told that if they complied by putting their hands up and lying down they would not be harmed however, this was untrue (Video Ref). Many of them were still