Eloy again: Riot at CCA's Red Rock Prison

(Here's the updated post, as of 6pm December 24, 2010.)



Below is the AP release on the CCA Red Rock Correctional Facility riot yesterday in Eloy, AZ, which involved only the California prisoners located there.

Something is amiss in that town. As some readers may be aware, this facility is operated by the same Corrections Corporation of America that runs the Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy. They also operate the La Palma Correctional Center and Eloy Detention Center there.


Hawaiian prisoners confined at Saguaro are suing for the abuse they endured in the wake of a smaller disturbance/uprising there in July of this year, during which at least one guard was injured. Again, no Hawaiian prisoners were involved in this incident yesterday.

Here is the link to a more complete article about it from Tri-Valley Central, the local media there (the source of the photo here). Read the comments that follow it - those are always interesting (though sometimes very troubling). According to Tri-Valley's report, no guards were hurt but three prisoners had life-threatening injuries. They have not been publicly identified.

Still looking for this from the prisoners' and families' point of view - please forward what you may come across out there. I will post more as soon as I have it...For those of you planning holiday visitation, call ahead. Both Red Rock and Saguaro are now on lock down.

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10 inmates injured in riot at Arizona prison
San Francisco Chronicle
December 23, 2010
17:37 PST

Eloy, Ariz. (AP) -- Ten inmates have been injured after a riot at a private prison in central Arizona. Eloy police say the disturbance occurred during Thursday afternoon's lunch hour at the Red Rock Correctional Facility and involved an estimated 110 inmates. They say the riot was in an area of the prison that houses only California inmates.

It's unclear what triggered the riot, but prison staff used pepper spray and ended it within 10 minutes. They say no staff members were injured and seven of the 10 inmates hurt were taken to hospitals outside the prison for treatment of injuries ranging from moderate to serious.

Prison officials say the 1,596-bed facility now is in lockdown.

Red Rock Correctional Center is owned by Corrections Corporation of America and houses male inmates for California and Hawaii and detainees of the U.S. Marshals Service. CCA managers along with California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation investigators are investigating the disturbance.