Riots At The Penitentiary Of New Mexico

In 1980 at the Penitentiary of New Mexico there was a riot that lasted for 36 hours and killed 33 inmates. In this selection Colvin sheds light onto the fact that there were many factors leading to the riot, and that it cannot be looked at as a random act of violence by inmates. Our society is quick to label all inmates as “animals” or to stereotype them all together as being dangerous and without humanity, but to do this is to overlook the acts of kindness and bravery that some inmates displayed. The majority of the inmates were simply looking to escape. During the three to four years leading up to the riot the prison was moving in the direction of becoming a violent and disorganized institution, ultimately allowing for an event as disastrous
As new inmates entered into the prison they met no leadership or organization upon arrival and as a result challenged other inmates and thus violence ensued. The fear of being sexually assaulted increased drastically and because of this the inmates felt that the only solution was to fight viciously and be labeled as someone that others “did not mess with.” Obtaining this reputation for being violent became something that was a full-time activity. As the inmates rallied for the reputations there was a rise in the number of confrontational incidents between them. As the inmates vied for self-protection they often formed small groups or cliques. Different hardcore cliques were ultimately produced as a result of the administration’s coercive tactics used to break up inmate unity. These different coercion tactics, such as the “snitch game” produced an inmate society that promoted violence between
Inmates then entered into other dorms and began jumping officers in Dorm F-2. At 1:57am two guards leaving the mess hall noticed inmates attacking a naked man and leading him to an area that was supposed to be closed off. Inmates soon took control and by 2am had gained control access to the north wing and the administrative wing. . Between the hours of 3am and 7am violence and chaos broke loose. There was no organization in the chaos, only uncoordinated fighting and violence. The inmates of certain cellblocks were attempting to organize the riot into a protest, but had little influence on the rioting inmates. As more fights began to breakout the injuries and killings to inmates increased. Many inmates were able to find routes to which they could exit the prison and surrender themselves to authorities by noon on the first day and by 5pm more than 350 inmates has found a way to leave the prison. On the second and final day of the riot, by 1pm only 100 inmates remained inside. All throughout the riot attempts were made by state authorities to negotiate the release of hostages inside. On February 3rd, the last day of the riot, three Hispanic inmates negotiated an agreement, with certain stipulations, with authorities to end the